The Grand Finale of the 2009 Red Bull Air Race World Championship takes place in Barcelona on 3rd and 4th October. Britain’s Paul Bonhomme currently with 55 points and Hannes Arch of Austria with 51 points will be contending for the title of World Champion 2009. The battle for the title has lasted all season long and will be decided at the last race of the season in Barcelona! Join the season finale and cheer for your favourite pilot!
Barcelona is expected to be one of the most challenging races so far this year. With the track located on an open coastline, nature will play a role in the outcome. Sudden shifts in wind direction and ocean swells which could cause the Air Gates anchored to floating barges to rise and fall slightly will require the pilots to be extra vigilant in order to avoid costly time penalties.
Bonhomme, who leads the championship standings with 55 points, has been the epitome of consistency so far this year with 2 victories and 3 second place finishes. He has managed to stay at or near the top this year even at races when he did not have the fastest plane. After stalking Austrian ace Arch and his red-hot “silver bullet” Edge 540 through the first half of the year, Bonhomme finally moved ahead of him in the 4th round in Budapest. He then widened his lead from 1 to 4 points in Porto.
Four point lead is not a lot
“I’ve been in this situation before and I can tell you that a 4-point lead is not a lot – especially when there’s 13 points available in Barcelona,” said Bonhomme. “It’s not a big gap so we’re still going to have to concentrate hard in Barcelona. It’s a very different course.” The track in Barcelona will be full of non-stop twists and turns that will put a premium on pilot skill in contrast to the sheer power that was required for the straight out-and-back course through the Douro River valley in Porto.
The Red Bull Air Race World Championship has grown even more competitive in its 5th season with the addition of 4 high-flying rookies. In Porto, newcomer Matt Hall from Australia got the first podium of his career with 3rd place, a record-breaking achievement that lifted the former fighter pilot from Down Under from 5th to 3rd overall in the championship.
Hannes Arch: “I will hunt down Paul in Barcelona”
Arch is relishing his new role as the hunter rather than the hunted since slipping behind Bonhomme with a season-low 4th place finish in Budapest. “Now I really get to put the pressure on and I will hunt down Paul in Barcelona,” said Arch, who has 1 win, 2 seconds, a 3rd and a 4th so far for a total of 51 points. “I have to attack. It suits me better. This game isn’t over yet. Paul is already feeling the pressure. The Barcelona track is better suited to my plane. I’ll go to Barcelona with the mindset of giving Paul a hard time.”
An estimated 1 million watched the 2006 Red Bull Air Race in Barcelona, the Catalan capital widely regarded as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Spectators will be able to view this year’s race from the beaches along the Front Maritim when Qualifying takes off on Saturday 3 October at 13:00 local time followed by Race Day on Sunday 4 October starting at 13:00.
More information can be found on http://www.redbullairrace.com/


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