In 2007, over four million people turned out to watch the Red Bull Air Race World Series where the world’s best pilots race through a low-level aerial slalom course, at speeds reaching 400 km/hr while pushing up to 10 Gs. The international motor sports championship is continually evolving and now into its fourth season, is set to become even more exciting and challenging.
The knock out format which proved so successful in 2007 will stay in place for the semi final and finals, but a new race format in 2008 will mean all twelve pilots will have the chance to show their skills on race day and they’ll be under pressure to achieve top results in each of the race sessions to ensure success.
Qualifying day will again take place the day before the race. Each pilot will compete in two qualifying sessions where the better results counts and determines the line up for race day.
The fastest eight pilots in qualifying will make it through to the ‘Super Eight’ round where they’ll be competing for a place in the semi finals. The last four pilots in qualifying will compete in the ‘Point One’ round where they will battle it out for one crucial World Series ranking point and an overall ninth place position in the race. Ranking points will be awarded to the top nine pilots, with the winner receiving a total of nine points.
Race day will kick off with the Point One round followed by the Super Eights. Racing straight after each other, the pilots will be going all out for the fastest time and least number of penalties in order to achieve the best position for the semi finals.
The fastest four from the Super Eight round will make it through to the semi finals. Timing and skill are crucial as the fastest pilot will gain the advantage of racing against the slowest pilot in the semis and the second fastest will take on the third fastest. Competing in knock out rounds, two pilots will be pitted against each other as they race individually against the clock.
The final will be a showdown between the fastest two in the semi finals. The slowest pilots from the semi finals will compete in the ‘3rd place fly-off’ to determine who else will make it to the podium.
The new race format will include all the elements to ensure nail-biting, non-stop action. Safety is paramount in the Red Bull Air Race and pilots will now only fly a maximum of three times.
“This improved race format fulfils the new safety requirements that were discovered throughout the 2007 season. Pilots will now fly a maximum of three flights per day to counteract the fatigue”, said Aviation Director Heinz Moeller. The race format in 2007 meant that some of the pilots ended up flying four times throughout the course of the day which can be extremely demanding on them.
“But the most exciting thing about this format is that the crowds will now get the chance to see all pilots perform on race day”, Moeller added.
source: redbullairrace.com
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