Red Bull Air Race - Spielberg 2016
Returning for its third year to the famous Austrian race location for 2016, Spielberg takes its Red Bull Air Race hosting to new heights. The competition this year is the hottest in history with a fresh crop of new talent and seasoned racers hungry for the win! Qualifying on Saturday 23 and Race Day Sunday 24 April! Be with us for the supercharged second stop of the season!
-
-
Lamb goes in for his second Run... it's looking fast and on the money... tight and well disciplined and all of Lamb's experience is on display here in Spielberg as he tackles this racetrack confidently. The split times are still behind Sonka's pace but a great second split time shows he's right on Sonka's tail...Through the Finish Gate at 57.736 and Lamb leaps into second place on the timesheets, just 0.246s behind Sonka.
-
Hannes Arch next... the local crowd will be cheering on their hero. Go Hannes!
-
-
Arch flying with perfection through that Start Gate as he rockets through at 200kts, the split time is EXACTLY the same as Sonka's in the first split!!! Arch taking no prisoners as he punches through the chicane and round into Gate 4... great cadence and we're seeing a much more attacking, aggressive side to Hannes out here on his home turf.He's lost a little time to Lamb in the second split and it's a similar story in Split 3... he makes a run for the Finish Gate and clocks in at 58.372... that's 0.882 slower than current leader Sonka.
-
Arch back into the track for Run 2 and again he's taking that first Split time in his stride as he goes green with a splintering start... still fast and aggressive in the racetrack and taking no prisoners... the pace is steady and he's matching Sonka's speed and power...The buzzer goes at Gate 10 and Arch picks up +2s for incorrect level flying... what a disappointment as he was on pace to take the top spot from Sonka. But consistency is a key player here in Spielberg and the second run finishes with 59.164 including that penalty.Arch 58.372 - currently in 3rd place.
-
Next into the track is Juan Velarde, a surprise podium contender here in Austria. Velarde has scored two third place finishes in practice but something seems to amiss in his FP3 first run as he dials it in but picks up no less than 3 penalties at Gates 2, 3 and 10. He seems to be going too hard and his timesheets will be taking a battering. The time stands at 1:03.160 including +6s of penalties.Velarde needs to tidy it up or he'll be sitting at the bottom of the rankings this afternoon...
-
-
Back into the track and the buzzer goes as soon as he's into the track... 201kts and he's over the start speed limit but it's only an extra second he needs to contend with... it's an otherwise smoother and solid performance as Velarde whips his way through the racetrack. That Edge is really giving him all its got and he's well on the pace as he finishes up in 57.703!!! Velarde is ON POINT in Spielberg and without that penalty we'd be looking at a REAL podium top step contender. Dolderer will have his eye on Velarde for sure...Velarde 57.703
-
Unbelievible! Petr Kopfstein finished with a faster race time in his 1st year as a Master Class pilot? This has never happened in any part of the Red Bull Air Race! A 58.96 with no penalties! This is the best day ever! Go PK18! -
Matt Hall into the track but there appears to be a problem with his smoke... that's an extra second on the clock from the off for the Australian but he'll be focusing on perfect lines out there.Gate 4 catches Hall out, one of the trickiest Gates in the track and there's an extra +2s on the clock... but it's an otherwise smooth and certified run from the Australian, but a hugely disappointing first run time of 1:00.436 with those extra +3s in penalties.
-
Hall shaking off the penalties like a pro as he storms through the Start Gate again at 198kts... the split times are looking gloriously green for the Australian and he is a man on a mission!
-
Perfect lines and a smooth but unmistakably aggressive run from Hall here... snapping through the Air Gates and keeping everything on point. That military precision is paying off as the splits stay decidedly green throughout the Hall pins down the top spot on the timesheets with 57.386, pushing Sonka into second.
-
-
Muroya is the 8th Master Class pilot to take to the racetrack in this Free Practice 3 session... he's only managed a best finish of 8th here in Spielberg but Muroya is a dark horse and can storm to the front of the pack without warning...
-
The splits are only 0.139s off Hall's time and Muroya looking smarter and faster in today's cooler temperatures. The Japanese pilot is picking up the pace and seems to have nailed the Spielberg racetrack already as the splits tellingly go green as he heads for the return pass...
-
Muroya is looking FAST and he finishes with a stellar 56.938! He's knocked 3s of his best time of the week with a clean and supercharged run, giving Matt Hall a short reign at the top of the timesheets as Muroya goes fastest.
-
Hello RR & anyone here in the chatbox. I hope for a good day of Quali. -
Another turn in the track for Muroya... it's another quick start as he passes trhough the Start Gate at 198kts and he's on pace to better his first Run time... but the splits are in the green and he's just starting to feel the pull in on the return lap... a little less pace this time around but still super-quick as he finishes up with 57.256... still faster than Hall's best time but Muroya's Run 1 time stands.Muroya 56.938
-
-
Canada's Pete McLeod now racing for a better finish than 13th place... he's not been appearing too happy with the Spielberg track and has yet to put in a clean run
-
But the overnight analysis seems to be working just fine out there and McLeod looking much more content... it's quicker than he's seen all week and he's pulling Gs and keeping it reigned in... that 13th place finish is quickly forgotten as McLeod takes up the 6th place spot with his Run 1 time of 58.224, that's 1.286 slower than Muroya but a heck of a lot faster than he's managed in his two previous sessions.
-
What a great run by Yoshi Muroya! 56.93 with no penalties! That is a new track record! I hope Team Muroya 31 will win the Qualifying Point today.
-
-
McLeod back for Run 2 and he's through the chicane safely... but Gate 4 has caught him out again and McLeod picks up +2s for incorrect level flying. It's not putting him off his pace at all as he storms around for a second pass in the track... but a mistake at Gate 10 has seen McLeod pick up another +2s and that's a disappointing finish for his last practice session with 1:01.236 including +4s of total penalties. Without those penalties McLeod would be in the 57s ballpark but he's GOT to keep it clean and accurate.McLeod 58.224
-
-
Mikey G hit a home run in FP1 when he took the fastest time with 57.113 but he struggled to find his form in the second practice session yesterday.But today is a new day and Goulian is back on point... he's looking so clean and so confident out there!
-
The splits are looking fantastic as Goulian charges his way around the Red Bull Ring... he's really got this racetrack sewn up in this run and he's dialing it in... it's a faultless performance from the American and he takes Muroya's first place with 56.808
-
It's been a fair ride so far for Chambliss, as he goes into the track with the knowledge that he needs to improve on his 7th place FP2 time of 59.049s. The American pilot is tough and can bounce back, and he appears to have reevaluated his lines today and we're seeing a much improved Chambliss in the Spielberg track.Clean, clean, clean... that's a good, solid start to FP3 and Chambliss clocks in at 58.380Despite the improvement he's still only managed 9th place so far, but there's another run on the cards...
-
-
-
Run 2 and Chambliss still looking fairly comfortable out there. It's not an easy track by any means and he'll be working hard to put those strategies into play. Clean through the chicane, clean through Gate 4... Chambliss coming around the treeline and he's still got a fair pace out of the Edge...No penalties and Chambliss makes a break for the Finish Gate... he takes the Run 2 time with an improved 58.325 which sees him move up one spot in the timesheets to 8th overall so far.Chambliss 58.325
-
Francois Le Vot, third in Abu Dhabi, up next. Le Vot has managed two 11th place finishes in Free Practice yesterday but he's yet to break through the 1m barrier. The Frenchman is a hard worker and will be doing everything he can to get the best out of his plane and perfect his racing lines... but he's already taken a hit as he picks up +2s for incorrect level flying through the Start Gate.It doesn't appear to have interfered with his Run too much but we're not seeing a huge amount of improvement in the overall time... Le Vot clocks in Run 1 at 1:02.819 including that penalty.
-
A quick turn back around and Le Vot goes back in for his second run... the 192kts start speed through the first Gate is telling as Le Vot pushes through that first tricky section in the track. Over the trees and he's lined up from Gate 4 through Gate 5, safely through and not a penalty in sight for this run. The vertical manoeuvre is done and dusted and the return lap is safe, safe, safe... clean and tidy but still no great pace from Le Vot yet.Le Vot 1:00.951
-
-
-
Just a message through that Dolderer is not starting in this FP3 session... it's a disappointing DNS for Dolderer who was one of the fastest pilots out in the track yesterday. So we go straight to Ivanoff.
-
The Abu Dhabi winner has only finished in the midfield so far in practice but the Frenchman is definitely a slow burner and can pull out a storming run right at the last minute... he's no write off.Ivanoff through the Start Gate at 197kts, he's steady but there's a distinct lack of pace from the French pilot and we're wondering if he's taking a more cautious line in this last practice session? He finishes with 59.243... it's not a bad time by any means but it's far from the ultra-competitive times we're seeing here today.
-
Ivanoff quickly back into the racetrack for Run 2... this is the last practice run of the day for the Master Class and Ivanoff doesn't look to be providing any real surprises just yet. 0.607 off Goulian's pace for the second split and Ivanoff is losing time as he progresses through the track... through the vertical turn and back into the return lap and Ivanoff not showing any great push for the top of the timesheets. Nevertheless, it's clean and it's good, and it's a time that's definitely a solid foundation to build on in Qualifying today.Ivanoff 58.628, placing him in 10th place overall.
-
-
Here are the unofficial Masters Free Practice 3 results:1. Goulian (USA) - 56.8082. Muroya (JPN) - 56.9383. Hall (AUS) - 57.3864. Sonka (CZE) - 57.4905. Velarde (ESP) - 57.7036. Lamb (GBR) - 57.7367. McLeod (CAN) - 58.2248. Chambliss (USA) - 58.3259. Arch (AUT) - 58.37210. Ivanoff (FRA) - 58.62811. Kopfstein (CZE) - 58.96812. Le Vot (FRA) - 1:00.95113. Podlunsek (SLO) - 1:02.05214. Dolderer (GER) - DNS
-
What a great Free Practice 3 Session! A 56.80 with no penalties by Micheal Goulian! He gets to race last in the Qualifying Session! Way to go Team 99!
-
We've been told that Dolderer's DNS result in Free Practice 3 was due to spark plug issues. Hopefully we'll see the German pilot flying later today in Qualifying from 14:00 UTC!
-
-
Happy with a clean final training and a time of 57.736 #airrace http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CgukckDU8AAdCvK.jpg
by Nigel Lamb via twitter 4/23/2016 1:06:29 PM
