Team Abu Dhabi Qualifies Third In Canadian Red Bull Air Race

Hat-Trick Of Wins Well Within Reach For Emirate’s Flying Falcon

Team Abu Dhabi’s ‘Flying Falcon’, Hannes Arch, showed he has what it takes to keep up his Red Bull Air Race World Championship winning run after a strong third place qualifier in Canada – round four of the eight leg series.

With adverse wind conditions making the Canadian leg one of the toughest in the series, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)-backed Arch showed why he is regarded as one of the world’s top pilots with a lightning-quick final qualifying run.

With his stunning display, Arch - the 2008 Red Bull Air Race world champion - was on-course to lead the qualifying stages, and clinch a vital bonus point, before race directors cited him for dangerous flying, which led to a disqualification of the time.

The penalty means Arch has to do it all in the main race if he hopes to surpass rivals, Nigel Lamb and Paul Bonhomme, who sit ahead of him in the overall standings.

“It has been an eventful few days, but the two runs I had today put me in the right mindset for tomorrow, especially as I had the fastest mid-time before the disqualification. So I am very positive for the main event,” said Arch, who is hoping to make it a hat-trick of wins in Canada after back-to-back victories in Australia and Brazil.

“The plane is extremely competitive against my two main challengers’ aircraft so if I can do a fast run without stressing the judges there is no reason why Team Abu Dhabi shouldn’t be on top of the podium.”

With a course straddling the Detroit River on the US – Canadian border, strong winds blowing up from the Mid-West are proving to be a major challenge for the World Championship’s 15-strong field in Windsor, Ontario.

And with the 2010 addition of a new Twin Knife Edge manoeuvre - which is separated by a challenging high-g, 270-degree turn – Arch is well aware of how tricky the course is, after slicing the air gate clean in half as he tried to negotiate the move.

“I came in too tight on that turn and from too high, which meant the plane stalled and I had to pull up fast. It was very close and I’m happy that I got away with it,” added Arch.

More than 48,000 US and Canadian spectators gathered on both sides of the Detroit River – which divides the two countries – to watch the world’s best pilots fly at speeds reaching 370km/h and pull up to 12Gs as they navigated dozens of 20 metre high inflatable air gates.
 

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