Red Bull Air Race pilots tune up for Russia on 15-16 June

Ben Murphy of Great Britain performs during the finals at the fifth round of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Kazan, Russia on August 26, 2018.
©Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool.

The Russian sports capital of Kazan will host the high-speed, low-altitude action of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship for the third consecutive time on Saturday and Sunday, 15-16 June 2019. In the break since the race in Abu Dhabi, the 14 top-level international teams and pilots have been preparing flat out, determined to reboot their momentum for the air race summer showdowns. Add a double-header for the Challenger Class, and race weekend in Kazan will strike a chord with every motorsport fan.

Kazan, Russia

– Since the first race of 2019 in Abu Dhabi, the race teams have been hard at work preparing for the clash in Kazan. Many have modified their raceplanes, and their tacticians have been carefully studying the track, where a blustery 2017 race saw more than 60 pylon hits and last year just 0.181s separated the top three. Meanwhile, the pilots have been pulling G to stay fit and practicing on their custom simulators. 

– The Red Bull Air Race is the official World Championship accredited by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Flying just metres above the Kazanka River, the 14 Master Class pilots will reach speeds up to 370 km/h and endure forces up to 12G in single-seat raceplanes, with the Kazan Kremlin as a backdrop. Each will fly against the clock while navigating a technical racetrack of air-filled pylons, which, in a safety feature, burst spectacularly if grazed by a wing. A feeder category, the Challenger Class, also competes at the race stops around the globe. Altogether across the Master Class and the Challenger Class, the 26 pilots represent 17 countries and six continents. 

– Pilots to watch in Kazan include 2017 World Champion Yoshihide Muroya (JPN) and defending titleholder Martin Šonka (CZE). Their rivalry is long and deep, and at the season opener in Abu Dhabi, Muroya edged Šonka for the win by just 0.003s. But Šonka brings the confidence of earning the race victory in Kazan last year. The USA’s Kirby Chambliss won in Kazan in 2017 and was third in 2018. Other previous podium finishers in the Tatarstan capital are Michael Goulian (USA) and Pete McLeod (CAN).

– Master Class Qualifying will take off on Saturday, 15 June 2019. Race Day is Sunday, 16 June 2019, with two fierce initial rounds narrowing the field to the climactic Final 4. 

– Also part of history’s third Russian stop will be two Challenger Class races, with Challenger Cup 1 on Saturday and Challenger Cup 2 on Sunday. In all, eight pilots will fly in the feeder category across the weekend: Florian Bergér (GER), Kenny Chiang (HKG), Kevin Coleman (USA), Patrick Davidson (RSA), Sammy Mason (USA), Daniel Ryfa (SWE), Patrick Strasser (AUT) and Baptiste Vignes (FRA). 

Watch what happens: Tickets are available now for the Red Bull Air Race return to Kazan, Russia on 15-16 June 2019. For ticket information and news, visit www.redbullairrace.com.

Upcoming Red Bull Air Race stops

15-16 June: Kazan, Russia
13-14 July: Lake Balaton, Hungary
7-8 September: Chiba, Japan

Red Bull Air Race

The Red Bull Air Race World Championship is an aerial motorsport series that demands a combination of speed, precision and skill. Using the fastest, most agile, high performance raceplanes, pilots compete in iconic locations over water and land. The high speed, low altitude and extreme manoeuvrability required make it accessible only to the world's most exceptional pilots.

Flying just metres from the ground, 14 Master Class pilots race against the clock whilst reaching speeds of up to 370 km/h, requiring a combination of precision and skill unmatched in the world of aviation. Pilots must be in peak physical condition as they endure forces up to 12G while navigating the technical racetracks made up of air-filled pylons.

The Air Race was developed in 2003 and is accredited by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), with more than 90 races completed across five continents. As the most advanced aerial challenge in existence, competing in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship is the highest accolade for elite pilots. A Challenger Cup feeder series was introduced in 2014.

Classic clash on the Danube: Red Bull Air Race back in Budapest 23-24 June

Michael Goulian of the United States performs during the finals at the fourth stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Budapest, Hungary on July 2, 2017. 

©Armin Walcher / Red Bull Content Pool

Soaring over the Hungarian capital since 2003, the Red Bull Air Race is Budapest’s summer classic – and a pivotal stop for the pilots.

Budapest, Hungary– Budapest has established itself as a classic stop on the Red Bull Air Race World Championship calendar: a location legendary for its long heritage dating to the first season of the sport and, especially, for an iconic racetrack approach that sees the raceplanes dive under the city’s Chain Bridge. Every pilot wants a Budapest win on his resume, and every team knows that victory in the fourth stop on the eight-race calendar will give them momentum at the critical midpoint of the season. 

With 14 of the world’s best pilots locked in a series of ties right down the leaderboard, the 370 kmh flights will be furious. Tens of thousands of spectators – including Peter Besenyei, Hungary’s own Red Bull Air Race pioneer – will be focused on Australia’s Matt Hall and the USA’s Michael Goulian, neck and neck at the top of the standings with 36 points each. Twice a runner-up in the World Championship, Hall has won the last two races and is looking for a hat-trick over the Danube. Goulian is having a career-best season start, including race trophies for first, second and third. And both have stood on the Budapest podium before, with the American winning in 2009. 

Tight in their own tie are the perpetual rivals who finished first and second in the 2017 World Championship, Japan’s Yoshihide Muroya and the Czech Republic’s Martin Šonka. Sitting 17 points back from the frontrunners with 19 each, they will be eager to break free of each other; and to make sure that the leaders do not get out of reach. The same is true of Germany’s Matthias Dolderer, who triumphed in Budapest on the way to his 2016 World Championship, and the charging young Frenchman Mika Brageot – both possess 15 points. 

But no one in the lineup has had more success flying at the “Pearl of the Danube” than US pilot Kirby Chambliss, with six Budapest podiums including two wins. “Budapest was the second race in the history of the sport, and that’s what always makes it so special to me,” says the two-time Red Bull Air Race titleholder, who at eighth place overall will be keen to reproduce his 2017 victory in the capital. “The city is so beautiful – but as a pilot, you never know what you’re going to get over the water. The wind and conditions that can start up there could make it a pretty tough racetrack. I’m looking forward to going back!”

Catch the classic: Tickets for the Red Bull Air Race 2018 – including the race in front of Budapest’s magnificent Parliament building on 23-24 June – are on sale now. For all the latest news and information, visit www.redbullairrace.com.

Red Bull Air Race 2018 Calendar

2-3 February: Abu Dhabi, UAE

20-22 April: Cannes, France 

26-27 May: Chiba, Japan

23-24 June: Budapest, Hungary 

25-26 August: Kazan, Russia

15-16 September: Wiener Neustadt, Austria

6-7 October: Indianapolis, USA

November: TBA 

The Red Bull Air Race

Created in 2003, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship has held more than 80 races around the globe. The Red Bull Air Race World Championship features the world’s best race pilots in a pure motorsport competition that combines speed, precision and skill. Using the fastest, most agile, lightweight racing planes, pilots hit speeds of 370 kmh while enduring forces of up to 12G as they navigate a low-level slalom track marked by 25-meter-high, air-filled pylons. In 2014, the Challenger Cup was conceived to help the next generation of pilots develop the skills needed for potential advancement to the Master Class that vies for the World Championship.