Air Race 1 – Thailand 2017

Another amazing race put on by Air Race 1, this time in Thailand; where sixteen racers from all over the world met at U-Tapao Naval Air Base to continue the competition from the Reno Air Races in September for the World Championship.

Jeff Zaltman has been putting on these races for several years now and believes this was the largest crowd to watch a Formula 1 Race – ever. Estimates of over 40,000 spectators have been quoted. We certainly don’t get 40,000 spectators for our early races at Reno!

Tim Cone Overtakes Phil Goforth for the Lead

Tim Cone won and is now the Air Race 1 World Cup Champion. He had some hiccups earlier in the week, but in the Gold Final, he shot passed the competition. The Gold Podium included Justin Phillipson,” No Strings Attached” in Third Place and Philip Goforth of Texas in “Knotty Girl” in Second Place.

Cone’s airplane, a highly modified Cassutt named “What Airplane, Honey”, was named when his wife only realizing he owned the plane when she saw him flying it on TV during the NBC Sports airing of the Reno Air Races. Nice try, Tim!

Justin Phillipson in No Strings Attached

Behind the leaders were 2015 Air Race 1 World Cup winner Thom Richard in “Outrageous” who settled for fourth place and Team Siam Air Racing “Hysteria” flown by Bangkok-based Frenchman, Lionel Mougel finished fifth.

Steve Temple in “Quadnickel”, Ryszard Zadow in “Last Lap Player” and Jerry Marshall rounded out the Gold Final.

Pilots at the Opening Ceremonies

Silver Race

Earlier in the afternoon, Swaid Rahn flying “Heatstroke” was the winner of the Silver Final, finishing ahead of Chip Maples in “Miss USA”. Swaid led the entire race from start to finish.

Afterwards he was quoted as saying, “Thailand has been an awesome experience and we would love to come back.”

Canadian Scott Holmes finished third in ‘Outlaw’, just ahead of Paul Newman in fourth and Kent Jackson in fifth. Trevor Jarvis finished sixth and Des Hart from Scotland, continued his difficult week, with a DNF. Steve Tumlin in his first Thailand Race received a DNS.

More close racing action in Thailand

Other locations?

Discussion has started to have another Air Race 1 event in Ely, Nevada. We were lucky enough to stop by their local airport and discuss how the planning was coming along.

While Ely is far from major cities, they do know how to put on a World Class event. They host the Silver State Classic and Nevada Open Road Challenge each year. For this event the entire town comes out to volunteer or to spectate.  

They are blessed with a beautiful airport – with plenty of flat land for racing and pylons. Multiple runways give pilots lots of options.

More on the Ely Race as we get closer. But, I believe 2018 will be a great year for Air Racing – across the globe!

Special THANKS to Naomi Dschaak, who was lucky enough to go to Thailand and was kind enough to let us use her photos for this month’s column!

Red Bull Air Racing 2018 Preview

Great Britain’s Ben Murphy – a former leader of the renowned Royal Air Force aerobatic team “The Red Arrows” – has secured a spot to compete for the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in 2018. Bringing two years of experience as a Challenger Class contender, Murphy will be joining an elite international field in the Master Class, including six overall podium finishers with four season titles among them.   Salzburg, Austria - Highlighting the 14-pilot lineup for the new season that kicks off in Abu Dhabi this February are all the top competitors from 2017. Chief among them, four pilots will be looking to reignite the rivalry that they took all the way to the season finale: first-time World Champion Yoshihide Muroya of Japan; the standouts in second and third overall, Martin Šonka of the Czech Republic and Pete McLeod of Canada; and former double titleholder Kirby Chambliss of the USA, who finished fourth. Meanwhile, 2016 World Champion Matthias Dolderer of Germany is determined to return to dominance, and two-time overall runner-up Matt Hall from Australia is back in top form after getting a new raceplane and team members up to speed. Great Britain, however, has the best record in the World Championship. Across 10 previous seasons, 40 percent of the overall wins have been claimed by British pilots Paul Bonhomme (2009, 2010, 2015) and Nigel Lamb (2014). After the two legends retired, fans of the Union Jack were left without a home hero last year – but that will change the moment Murphy takes off.  “It’s a huge honor to be moving up to the Master Class in 2018. It will be great to have the British colors flying again and to follow in the footsteps of fellow British pilots Paul Bonhomme and Nigel Lamb,” says Murphy, who will spend the off-season securing a raceplane and assembling his Blades Racing Team. “Both have been an inspiration to me, and this move marks the next major step in the campaign to battle to the top and match their World Championship successes. Those are big shoes to fill, though!” Bonhomme, who retired in 2015 and is now an expert analyst for the Red Bull Air Race live broadcast, notes, “It’s fantastic that the UK fans will have a pilot to follow in 2018. It’s a steep learning curve, however, and they should be patient for podiums and wins. Having said that, Ben has the skills, background and support available to do well.” Including Murphy, the Challenger Class – a component of the Red Bull Air Race launched in 2014 to give talented aviators a chance to build their racing skills – has produced seven Master Class pilots, who quickly became forces to be reckoned with. Their technical innovations and podium finishes have made the World Championship even more exciting and unpredictable than ever.  “The World Championship in 2017 gave us a taste of things to come. No one dominated for the entire season, and I reckon we’ll see similar next year,” Bonhomme assesses. “Having said that, there are some very hungry pilots out there. The first two to three races will give us a clue to see if anyone can pull ahead. Ben Murphy will make his Red Bull Air Race World Championship debut at the 11th consecutive season opener in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 2-3 February 2018. 2018 Master Class Pilots Cristian Bolton (CHI) Mikaël Brageot (FRA) Kirby Chambliss (USA) Matthias Dolderer (GER) Michael Goulian (USA) Matt Hall (AUS) Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA) Petr Kopfstein (CZE) François Le Vot (FRA) Pete McLeod (CAN) Yoshihide Muroya (JPN) Ben Murphy (GBR) Martin Šonka (CZE) Juan Velarde (ESP)    Be there! Tickets for the 2018 Red Bull Air Race World Championship are now available. For all the latest news and information, including tickets, visit www.redbullairrace.com. ### RED BULL AIR RACE 2018 CALENDAR 2-3 February: Abu Dhabi, UAE 21-22 April: Cannes, France 26-27 May: Europe, location TBA 23-24 June: Budapest, Hungary 4-5 August: Asia, location TBA 25-26 August: Kazan, Russia 6-7 October: Indianapolis, USA November: Asia, location TBA  ABOUT RED BULL AIR RACE Created in 2003, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship has held more than 80 races around the world. The Red Bull Air Race World Championship features the world’s best race pilots in a pure motorsport competition that combines speed, precision and skill. Using the fastest, most agile, lightweight racing planes, pilots hit speeds of 370kmh while enduring forces of up to 10G as they navigate a low-level slalom track marked by 25-meter-high, air-filled pylons. In 2014, the Challenger Cup was conceived to help the next generation of pilots develop the skills needed for potential advancement to the Master Class that vies for the World Championship.

Red Bull Air Race 2018 calendar

Red Bull Air Race 2018 calendar to include first-ever stop in France

08.11.2017

In 2018, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship will make eight stops around the globe, featuring classic series destinations and exciting surprises like a premiere in Cannes – the first French race in the history of the sport. Here’s a preview.   Cannes, France – On 2-3 February, the campaign for the 2018 World Championship will take flight with a record 11th consecutive season opener in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Next: Cannes rolls out the red carpet for the series’ long-awaited debut in France on 21-22 April. With French pilots in both the Master Class and the Challenger Class – including the first woman to compete in the series, Mélanie Astles – the 370kmh action over the Riviera will undoubtedly mark one of the high points of the season.   In May, the towering 25-meter Air Gates will rise at another European location, still under wraps, for the third stop of the season; while the midpoint will be celebrated as the raceplanes once again speed under the iconic Chain Bridge in Budapest, Hungary on 23-24 June.   The 2017 World Champion Yoshihide Muroya of Japan – the first Asian pilot ever to claim the overall title – is sure to be the center of attention when the second half of the calendar kicks off with a race in Asia slated for August at a location to be announced. Then on 25-26 August it’s a return to Kazan, Russia, where the World Championship ignited the passion of the country’s motorsport fans with a maiden race in 2017.   The final two stops will criss-cross the globe, with a showdown on 6-7 October at the USA’s famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the third year in a row, followed by the high drama of a November season finale, which will make history as the first to be held in Asia (location TBA). “The 2017 title went down to the wire, keeping the world in suspense up until the final run of the final race, and now the teams are using the off-season to make their raceplanes even faster,” says Erich Wolf, General Manager of Red Bull Air Race GmbH. “The best pilots in the world just keep getting better, and the destinations that will welcome them next year are spectacular. I can’t predict who will win the 2018 season, but I guarantee it’ll be one to watch.” Ticketing for the 2018 Red Bull Air Race World Championship is underway. For all the latest news and information, including tickets, visit www.redbullairrace.com. Red Bull Air Race 2018 Calendar 2-3 February: Abu Dhabi, UAE 21-22 April: Cannes, France 26-27 May: Europe, location TBA 23-24 June: Budapest, Hungary 4-5 August: Asia, location TBA 25-26 August: Kazan, Russia 6-7 October: Indianapolis, USA November: Asia, location TBA  ###   ABOUT RED BULL AIR RACE Created in 2003, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship has held more than 80 races around the world. The Red Bull Air Race World Championship features the world’s best race pilots in a pure motorsport competition that combines speed, precision and skill. Using the fastest, most agile, lightweight racing planes, pilots hit speeds of 370kmh while enduring forces of up to 10G as they navigate a low-level slalom track marked by 25-meter-high, air-filled pylons. In 2014, the Challenger Cup was conceived to help the next generation of pilots develop the skills needed for potential advancement to the Master Class that vies for the World Championship. NEWSROOM The Red Bull Air Race Newsroom is a free media service providing news, stories, high-resolution photography, audio, footage for TV and web, as well as race results and background information about the Red Bull Air Race World Championship. www.redbullairracenewsroom.com