Pete McLeod qualified 4th for tomorrow's Red Bull Air race in Gdynia, Poland (Photo-Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool)
By: Red Bull Air Race Series
July 25, 2014
Paul Bonhomme brushed off the disappointment of his fifth place finish at the last race in Malaysia with an emphatic victory in Qualifying ahead of the Red Bull Air Race in Gdynia, Poland
Gdynia, Poland – Britain's Paul Bonhomme pulled out the stops to win the Red Bull Air Race World Championship's Qualifying session on Saturday in front of more than 100,000 Polish spectators with a track record time of 1:10.980. The defending champion bounced back in style from a sobering defeat in the last stop in Putrajaya, Malaysia to win his first Qualifying this year in the high speed, low altitude racing with a clutch performance on a difficult track set up in the Baltic Sea just off Gdynia's bustling beaches.
Nigel Lamb of Britain, who won the last race in Malaysia, came in a close second in the Qualifying ahead of Sunday's first-ever race in Poland with a time of 1:11.423 on a thrilling track made especially challenging with a 270-degree "Marina Wall" turn while championship leader Hannes Arch of Austria took third, stopping the clock in 1:11.490.
"It's a brilliant track," said Bonhomme, who saw his run of 15 straight podiums snapped in Malaysia when he ended up fifth due to engine troubles. "If every track were like this it would be a dream. You've got to actually put some thought into flying this track. It's really a thinking pilot's track."
It was another riveting Qualifying session with Lamb, Arch and Pete McLeod of Canada, who got fourth (1:12.068), all pushing the pace in an electrifying duel with hopes of taking the top spot for Sunday's race in Gydnia. Germany's Matthias Dolderer (1:12.252) and Australia's Matt Hall (1:12.370) also showed flashes of brilliance on the difficult Gdynia track but ended up back in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Both Dolderer and Hall said they are confident they are still within striking range of getting on the podium.
Official results from Masters Qualifying:
1. Paul Bonhomme (GBR) 1:10.980
2. Nigel Lamb (GBR) 1:11.423
3. Hannes Arch (AUT) 1:11.490
4. Pete McLeod (CAN) 1:12.068
5. Matthias Dolderer (GER) 1:12.252
6. Matt Hall (AUS) 1:12.370
7. Martin Sonka (CZE) 1:12.453
8. Kirby Chambliss (USA) 1:12.538
9. Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA) 1:13.127
10. Yoshihide Murya (JPN) 1:13.232
11. Michael Goulian (USA) 1:13.979
12. Peter Besenyei (HUN) 1:16.692
2. Nigel Lamb (GBR) 1:11.423
3. Hannes Arch (AUT) 1:11.490
4. Pete McLeod (CAN) 1:12.068
5. Matthias Dolderer (GER) 1:12.252
6. Matt Hall (AUS) 1:12.370
7. Martin Sonka (CZE) 1:12.453
8. Kirby Chambliss (USA) 1:12.538
9. Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA) 1:13.127
10. Yoshihide Murya (JPN) 1:13.232
11. Michael Goulian (USA) 1:13.979
12. Peter Besenyei (HUN) 1:16.692
Canadians In BOLD