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Abu Dhabi – April 7, 2007 – Hungarian Peter Besenyei won the season opener of the Red Bull Air Races Friday with four flawless runs in Abu Dhabi.
With desert temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit, Besenyei edged out American Mike Mangold by 1.03 seconds. Britain’s Paul Bonhomme took third, while other Americans — Kirby Chambliss, last year’s World Series winner, took fourth, and Michael Goulian seventh.
This year’s series includes a new elimination round format, with pilots going head to head in a knock-out system, racing individually against the clock with the fastest making it through to the next round. In addition to maneuvering through air gates at speeds up to 250 mph, pilots also had to weave through slalom gates.
“I’m delighted,” Besenyei said. “It was extremely difficult and I was fortunate to have the better finish in the final. To be honest, this is exactly what I said I was aiming for before the season began.“
Mangold, who had been plagued all week by a pinched nerve, was able to take his mind off the pain each time he climbed into his cockpit. “It took me pretty much to the limit to fly four runs including the final in this heat with my injury,” he said. “Considering it was the first race of the season, I’m just happy that I was able to prove I’m competitive.”
Bonhomme grabbed third place by flying the fastest run of the day (1:25.62) in the consolation final against Chambliss. “If it weren’t for time penalty (for flying too high on one gate), I could have made it to the final. But I’m optimistic for the next race,” Chambliss said.
Goulian said being sick with the flu all week hurt his times. “My times were good, but they could have been better. The new system is difficult on the pilots and the airplanes. There’s not really enough time between the rounds, there’s not enough time to rest. You come in and then five minutes later you’re back out there. It’s tough.“
The next race in the series takes place in Rio de Janeiro on April 20-21.
World Series Standings
Pos Name Nation Airplane Points
1 Peter Besenyei HUN Edge 540 6
2 Mike Mangold USA Edge 540 5
3 Paul Bonhomme GBR Edge 540 4
4 Kirby Chambliss USA Edge 540 3
5 Steve Jones GBR Extra 540 2
6 Frank Versteegh NED Edge 540 1
7 Alejandro Maclean ESP Edge 540 0
7 Michael Goulian USA Edge 540 0
9 Nicolas Ivanoff FRA Cap 232 0
9 Klaus Schrodt GER Extra 300S 0
11 Nigel Lamb GBR MX2 0
12 Sergey Rakhmanin RUS Edge 540 0
13 Hannes Arch AUT Edge 540 0
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