The dazzling Red Bull Air Race World Championship returns to its spiritual home, Budapest on 23-24 June, pulling a monumental crowd of thousands to witness the racing action. Are you planning to participate? Here’s what you should know about the most exciting sport event of the summer!
The globally renowned Red Bull Air Race is a pure motorsport competition, during which skills, precision, speed and experience are equally important. First launched more than 10 years ago, it is considered to be the fastest and most exhilarating motorsport series on the planet, and lives up to all the hype. In 2018, the air race makes eight stops around the world, including classic destinations such as Budapest or Abu Dhabi, and new surprises like Cannes.
Without exaggeration, Budapest is a real spectacle on the race calendar, because Master Class pilots kick off each race by flying under our iconic Chain Bridge. Pilots will then fly along the river, navigating the complex aerial course. Being the mid-season stop on the 2018 World Championship calendar, the Hungarian capital city welcomes the world’s best racing pilots on 23-24 June, and you got to be part of this!
Pioneers of Aviation
From people who worked to achieve manned flight to the developers of aeronautics, numerous scientists, pilots and constructors can be considered as pioneers of aviation. The fascinating story of aviation started with Leonardo da Vinci, who invented a flying machine, the “ornithopter”, based on years of observation. The role of Orville and Wilbur Wright is also unarguable: they invented and built the world’s first successful airplane. Amelia Earhart hit another milestone, as she was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928. Our world champion air racer, Péter Besenyei also deserves to be mentioned: he helped Red Bull develop the concept of an air racing competition, took part in setting up rules and selecting the most daring pilots who can handle the extreme physical and mental challenges of an air race.
Overview on the Past Two Years
2016
The unpleasant, rainy weather lead to the cancellation of the 4th qualification at the Master Class competition in Budapest. For the same reason the Challenger Cup (launched in 2014 with the aim of offering the new generation of talented pilots a chance to experience the thrills of the sports) was entirely cancelled. At the end, Matthias Dolderer triumphed and became the first German pilot to be crowned World Champion, while Hannes Arch and Matt Hall took home the second and third prize.
2017
Nine years after his last win (and 13 years after the last time he triumphed in Budapest), the American pilot Kirby Chambliss threw hat into the World Championship ring by winning in the Hungarian capital. The legendary, retired free-style aerobatics and air race pilot, Péter Besenyei – often referred to as the godfather of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship – took the Japanese pilot Joshide Muroja and Czech Petr Kopfstein on a „sightseeing” ride over the Danube one day prior to the competition, showing them the beauties of the Hungarian city from a bird’s eye view.
Events 2018
Don’t miss out on the exciting side programs: a wakeboard show, the adventurous “SUP River Down”, a gaming corner, simulators, freestyle football and the Gravity Academy trial show! The event kicks off on 23 June at 10.50 AM with the Challenger Cup’s free practice and qualifying, while the race starts the next day as well as the prize giving ceremonies. The Massachusetts native Michael Goulian is in the series lead now with 24 points, followed by the Austral Matt Hall and last year’s world champion, Yoshihide Muroya only 5-5 points away from taking the title. Who is going to triumph this year in Budapest? Go see it for yourself!