As far as the fans are concerned, it's all about this man today... Yoshihide Muroya
Muroya right on the mark with 200kts through the Start Gate and the splits are looking promising with a green 0.041s ahead. The energy is looking good and he's on pace, but a little wide through the chicane... Muroya is always buoyed by the presence of the home crowd and they seem to be working their magic out there today as he picks up a 2nd place finish with 56.043
Australia's Matt Hall up next, followed by Mike Goulian.
Cannes winner Hall cleared into the track... he topped one of the Free Practice sessions and has had three top 4 finishes this week in his free practice sessions...
The winds have dropped and Matt Hall is pushing hard through the track but can't match Chambliss's pace... he's lost a lot of time in the first half of the track and is struggling to claw it back... it's clean though and Hall is clearly going off plan there, as he finishes in 11th place overall. There's another chance to really pick up the pace and go all-in
That is disastrous for Hall.
He's in 11th place overall with his Run 1 time of 57.459... a grimace from Hall in the cockpit and he knows that he's got so much work to do tomorrow to battle his way through the head-to-head rounds in order to replicate his Cannes success.
So it's Goulian vs fellow US pilot Chambliss
Goulian is currently leading the World Championship standings, and he's got to knock his fellow US pilot off the top spot to earn the strongest position ahead of the Round of 14 on Race Day tomorrow.
Remember, the goal is 56.058, set by Chambliss earlier today.
Goulian takes the final spot in the Qualifying session today... he looks a little off the pace from the off, with Gate 6 catching the American out and he picks up +2s... there's a lack of confidence from the usually cool and collected pilot who's earned a wealth of experience in the Master Class.
Another unexpected result out there today... the chicane is a real test out there today and it's causing some issues for the pilots, including Goulian, who finishes up in 12th overall with another Run to redeem himself.
So that's a wrap for Qualifying Day here in Chiba. If there's anything we've learned today, it's to expect the unexpected tomorrow, when the pilots go head-to-head over the ocean in a bid to take the win at the third round of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship.
Join us tomorrow - we'll be here ahead of the live action, getting you prepped for some supercharged, full throttle racing action!
Good afternoon, from Chiba!
It's finally here... Race Day is set to kick off shortly with the Round of 14. It's a day to expect the unexpected... yesterday the gusty winds swung around from NE, and today they're coming at the pilots from the SW. So what worked for the pilots yesterday won't necessarily give them the right lines and approach today.
The Chiba track is super technical, and today it's going to be about precision, speed and control, especially in that tricky spot around Gates , 6 and 7. Who will take the top step of the podium for the third round of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship 2018? Not long until we find out...
As far as the fans are concerned, it's all about this man today... Yoshihide Muroya
