Air Race News

[Willard]

Spectacular aerial dual between two of the top Red Bull Air Race pilots

In the lead up to the sixth race of the Red Bull Air Race World Series which takes place in Budapest on 19th and 20th August, two of the race pilots competed in a dual over the River Danube in Bratislava this weekend.

100,000 fans turned out to watch Hungary’s Peter Besenyei take on Austria’s Hannes Arch in what subsequently became the largest outdoor sporting event in the history of Slovakia. It was Arch who was victorious, displaying his incredible racing skills as he flew through a series of Air Gates set up along the 3,100-metre course at speeds reaching 370 km/hr. Arch crossed the finish line with a time of 35,63 seconds in the first round and topped the time sheets with 35,54 seconds in the second round.

Although Peter Besenyei improved his second round by almost a second, it was not enough to influence the final results and the Hungarian flying legend Peter Besenyei had to admit defeat after a hard-fought battle: “I wanted to win, but Hannes was simply too good today. Most importantly, we really enjoyed it and hopefully we will have a chance to race in Bratislava again.”

Arch, who is just in his second year with the Red Bull Air Race World Series, has become the surprise of the season and currently stands in 3rd place overall while Besenyei is in 5th. Britain’s Paul Bonhomme leads the championship.

“The atmosphere was amazing and the size of the crowd just blew me away,” said the Austrian pilot following his triumph. “That was the perfect preparation for the next Red Bull Air Race in Budapest. I’ve got an amazing feeling in the air at the moment and will be looking to really go for it in Hungary to pick up World Series points,” commented a visibly pleased Arch.

Thousands of people crowded the banks of the Danube and brought areas of the city to a standstill during the spectacular dual which was specially organised in the lead up to the Budapest race to enable Slovakian fans to witness the incredible skills required for the Red Bull Air Race.