American Red Bull Air Race pilot Kirby Chambliss had his strongest finish in three seasons, claiming third place in a turbulent race at Spielberg, Austria, Sunday. It was Chambliss’ first time on the podium since the race in New York in 2010 and it was won by Australia’s Matt Hall, who had his first top placing since joining the series in 2009. Second place went to Britain’s Paul Bonhomme, the series leader who saw his lead chopped to just five points overall. The wind was a major factor in the mountainous area and gave a lot pilots a lot of trouble. Fourth place in the race went to Martin Sonka, of the Czech Republic, and Canada’s Pete McLeod was fifth. The race series shifts to North America later this month.
Fort Worth will host the race series Sept. 26-27 and the season finale will be in Las Vegas Oct. 17-18. Both U.S. dates are held at NASCAR tracks and the venues keep the action close to the crowd. A temporary runway is set up in the infield. Races are held over closed courses marked by air-filled pylons. Racers pull a maximum of 10 Gs in the intricate flying that includes aerobatics between some of the pylons.
