Air Race World Series – May 9, 2006 – Hungarian Peter Besenyei easily beat 10 other pilots in the second race of the Red Bull Air Race series on Saturday in Barcelona. But his win, and the second- and third-place rankings of Americans Mike Mangold and Kirby Chambliss, mean that the three are tied with 10 points each in the overall standings.
Around 1.3 million spectators lined the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea Saturday to see the pilots fly at speeds of up to 250 mph as the navigated, rolled, and snapped their way through a series of inflatable gates above the water, at times experiencing up to 10G acceleration forces. Those who couldn’t find a place to view on land arrived via the sea, in sailboats and yachts.
May 6 Results, Barcelona
2nd Race
Place Name Total Time
- Peter Besenyei (HUN) 2:33.82
- Mike Mangold (USA) 2:39.56
- Kirby Chambliss (USA) 2:40.95
- Klaus Schrodt (GER) 2:48.30
- Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA) 2:50.08
- Nigel Lamb (GBR) 2:51.59
- Alejandro Maclean (ESP) 2:53.32
- Paul Bonhomme (GBR) 2:53.79
- Michael Goulian (USA) 2:54.36
- Steve Jones (GBR) 3:00.32
- Frank Versteegh (NED) 3:05.91
Hungarian Peter Besenyei took first place with a flawless performance and a time of 2:33.82. American Mike Mangold came in second with a total time of 2:39.56, nearly 6 seconds behind Besenyei, while American Kirby Chambliss, who won the first race in Abu Dhabi, came in third at 2:40.95. Mangold received three penalty points and Chambliss, six.
Besenyei experienced problems with his plane in the first race of the season in Abu Dhabi and was forced to fly a heavier two-seater in that competition. He was ecstatic about his win attributing it to his new plane, the Edge 540.
“It’s so much faster than the previous one and really gave me the edge! But more than anything it was a great feeling to beat Mike Mangold by six seconds,” he said in a Red Bull press release.
Among the prominent guests at the event was Catalonian President Pasqual Maragall as well as Barcelona Mayor Joan Clos.
To view video of the race, click here.
What are the Red Bull Air Races?
Nine pilots from around the world are pitting their skills against each other for a chance to be known as the best of the best.
It’s the 2006 Air Race World Series, a new chapter in the Red Bull Air Races that is taking these seasoned pilots to nine cities on four continents to strut their stuff.
Withstanding forces up to 10 Gs (or 10 times the force of gravity!), the thrilling air races have taken the sport of aerobatics to a new level and new audience.
The concept of air racing dates back to the early years of aviation, but it took former world aerobatic champion Peter Besenyei, who is also competing, to come up with the idea for today's air races. Unhappy with the way most aerobatic competitions are scored, these pilots are really judged by a stopwatch, eliminating inconsistencies in scoring.
The races are sponsored by Red Bull Energy Drinks.
Can’t make any of the races in the World Series?
Then do the next-best thing — visit the Red Bull Copilot Web site.
|
|
Meet The Pilots
Hungarian Peter Besenyei is a two-time winner of both the FAI World Grand Prix series and the World Aerobatics Championships. He invented the Red Bull Air Race, won the first race in 2003 and took first place in two of the competitions in 2005.
American Mike Mangold is ranked 1st in the Red Bull Air Races of 2005. He is also a five-time Unlimited Aerobatics Champion of California, a two-time Unlimited Aerobatics Champion of Arizona, US and World Champion and has won other awards. He is also a commercial pilot, flying a Boeing 767.
American Kirby Chambliss of Flying Crown Ranch, Ariz. is a five-time U.S. National Aerobatic Champion and 2000 World Champion. Chambliss won both the Budapest and Gloucestershire Red Bull events in 2004. A Southwest Airlines 737 captain and air show pilot, performed at EAA AirVenture 2005.
Nicolas Ivanoff is the 2004 French vice champion in Unlimited Aerobatic and the 2000 World Aerobatics Champion with the French Aerobatics Team. He also teaches flying.
Great Britain’s Nigel Lamb is an eight-time British Unlimited Aerobatic Champion. Silver medallist of the Masters of Aerobatics South Africa, he was also a member of the British team in three World Aerobatic Championships and two European Championships.
Spaniard Alejandro MacLean is a two-time Spanish Aerobatics Champion and winner of the 1998 Lithuanian Aerobatic Championship. In 2005 he was the Captain of the Spanish Aerobatic Team.
Great Britain’s Paul Bonhomme is the winner of one silver and three gold medals in the FAI World Grand Prix series as a member of the “The Matadors.” He is also a 747 captain for British Airways.
American Michael Goulian is a Fond du Lac Cup winner and both a U.S. Advanced Champion and U.S. Unlimited Champion in the 1990’s. He also competed in the inaugural Championship Airshow Pilots Association series as a member of the U.S. Aerobatics Team.
Englishman Steve Jones is the 1995 UK Freestyle Aerobatic Champion, 1996 Overall British Aerobatics Champion, winner of one silver and three gold medals in the FAI World Grand Prix series as a member of “The Matadors,” flying with friend Paul Bonhomme. He also is a 747 captain with British Airways.
Dutchman Frank Versteegh is the Dutch Unlimited Aerobatics champion and competed in the World and European championships from 1982-94. He is also a FAI judge, flight instructor and air show organizer.
Next Race:
May 27
Berlin, Germany
For More Information
Red Bull Air Races
Kirby Chambliss Home Page
Mike Mangold's Home Page
Mike Goulian’s Home Page
What is a ‘g’?
|
News Archive | Air Shows & Events | KidVenture | Young Eagles Newsletter
EMAIL
STORY
PRINTER
FRIENDLY
Privacy Policy 