Bonhomme’s retirement and rule change makes Red Bull Air Race more exciting

Abu Dhabi: The retirement of 2015 World Champion Paul Bonhomme leaves the 2016 Red Bull Air Race World Championship fight wide open.

And it will be interesting to see which one of the world’s best 14 pilots takes the early lead when the Championship season takes off in capital this weekend.

As of now, the favourite to take advantage of the void left by Bonhomme will be Australia’s Matt Hall, who ended last season behind the former by a mere five points.

Hall, a member of the talented ‘Class of 2009’, was upbeat about his chances - though his task is cut out following a rule change that offers all pilots an even runway.

“Statistically it is correct that I’m now the No. 1 ranked competitor and so to say that someone who is the No. 1 should be able to be the favourite for the season, but I would say that everyone that is flying in this air race can win the championship,” said Hall during the press briefing at Al Bateen Airport to announce the race.

“Yes last year was very good for us and it would be great for us to continue with what we were doing last year. However, everybody has got a new season in front of them and everyone has a chance to win the championship. We are confident, but will be taking one race at a time,” added Hall, who finished second here in Abu Dhabi last season.

Hall was also of the view that a new rule change that now takes into account the timings of earlier stages will make the race more competitive and thrilling for the fans. He believes it places more emphasis on timing and skill.

“I think the rule change is great. Now every round counts. I like it and I think most of the pilots will like it. I think the crowd will definitely notice the difference in flying and all will be pressing more for speed,” revealed the former Wing Commander in the RAAF.

For Czech ace Martin Sonka, who finished with two podiums and four Final 4 finishes last season, these are early days with newly formed Team Sonka with brother Josef.

“As you know we are now in a brand new team and it is a great honour to be a part of it. It brings great responsibility as well,” said Sonka adding, however, that their new plane is still not up to the mark.

“We still have to solve some technical issues with the plane. We are still not happy so I will not say anything on expectations because all the guys here are going to be really fast. First of all we must be really focused. We have to fix everything first and after this race we will know more,” said Sonka, a decorated Czech Air Force Pilot and multi-time aerobatic champion.

The opener for Sonka’s countryman Petr Kopfstein will be a huge learning curve, as he has made the transition into the big league from the Challenger Class.

“It is a great honour for me to fly in the elite group of aviators. I will be flying here for the third time but first time in the master class. We have expectations of the highest level and we will try our best to impress,” said Kopfstein, who earned seven race podiums over two seasons in the Challenger Class.

“The machine is perfect as we didn’t change much and used the set-up that Martin (Sonka) was using last year, so now we will focus on flying smooth and safe and not compete against anybody. We will try to compete against the track and set up everything correctly in the team,” added Kopfstein.

The General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), Aref Al Awani, said: “This is the ninth time Abu Dhabi has hosted this exciting battle for racing supremacy of the skies. It is a spectacle which brings thousands to our wonderful Corniche to enjoy the thrills and marvel at the daring of these flying aces. It also delivers substantial media exposure for the UAE capital worldwide. We are looking forward to a great race.”