Officially the world’s fastest motorsport series, the 2014 RBAR World Championship will see 12 daredevil pilots race in high-performance airplanes 15-25 metres above the ground as they navigate challenging obstacle courses of Air Gate pylons at speeds of up to 370km/h.
With Abu Dhabi hosting the series’ triumphant return to action, a further six rounds in five countries on three continents will unfold over the following 10 months. The RBAR World Championship will travel to Putrajaya, Malaysia (17 & 18 May), Gdynia, Poland (26 & 27 July), Ascot, Great Britain (16 & 17 August), Dallas / Fort Worth, USA (6 & 7 September), Las Vegas, USA (10 & 11 October) and an unconfirmed city in China (1 & 2 November).
“The return of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship further underlines Abu Dhabi’s capacity to stage world-class sporting events,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Director, Events Bureau, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), the RBAR World Championship’s local organiser.
“Past races in the emirate saw as many as 120,000 people descend on the Corniche to watch the world’s premier high-performance pilots lock wings in two days of exhilarating daredevil displays. The authority will utilise its extensive network of overseas offices and global trade partners to ensure the series receives a typically hospitable return to Abu Dhabi and establishes an international billing as one of the next year’s keynote motorsport events.”
Following a three-year break to improve safety and reorganise its calendar, the 2014 RBAR World Championship will feature a number of technical improvements – including standard engines and propellers for all pilots, changes to the lightweight nylon pylon material, which make them even easier to burst apart when clipped by plane wings, and raising pylon heights from 20 to 25 metres.
In addition to the primary Championship, new pilots in the 12-man field will also take part in the all-new Challengers Cup competition – a stepping-stone format for RBAR rookies that will feature several training camps throughout the season.
“We’ve all worked very hard over the last three years fine-tuning some of the safety aspects and bringing the sport to a new level,” said Erich Wolf, CEO Red Bull Air Race GmbH. “We never took our eye off the target and neither have our fantastic pilots or our great fans around the world. Their interest in the sport remained unbelievably high during these past few years and we can’t wait to get back in the air in February 2014 in Abu Dhabi.”
Reigning champion Paul Bonhomme of Great Britain, who won the last two world championships in 2009 and 2010, will be looking for an unprecedented third straight title in 2014. Bonhomme’s chief challengers will be 2008 champion, Austria’s Hannes Arch, and American Kirby Chambliss, who won the world title in 2004 and 2006. Other pilots include: Nigel Lamb (Great Britain), Matt Hall (Australia), Peter Besenyei (Hungary), Nicolas Ivanoff (France), Michael Goulian (USA), Matthias Dolderer (Germany), Yoshi Muroya (Japan), Pete McLeod (Canada) and Martin Sonka (Czech Republic).
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