LAUSITZ, Germany – Australia’s Matt Hall is looking forward to getting back into the cockpit in the Red Bull Air Race in Germany next week and said he hopes to finish the roller-coaster 2010 season on a high note.

Hall, the most successful rookie in the history of the sport last year, added he was disappointed about the announcement that the world championship would be taking a one-year break in 2011 to fast-track technology developments and revise commercial aspects but added he believes the plans are designed to strengthen the future of the sport and make sense.

“We’re all ready for the Germany race,” Hall said ahead of the sixth and final stop of the 2011 season that will be staged at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, south of Berlin, a world-class motorsport circuit with grandstand seating.

“We have a few more items planned for the aircraft in Germany to get it handling as nice as possible and then we’re just planning on enjoying the last race of the season.”

Hall, a former RAAF fighter pilot who finished third overall in his rookie season, has been plagued at times by misfortune in his second season.

But he did get a career-best second place at his home race in Perth, finishing just behind Hannes Arch of Austria in a thrilling battle over the Swan River in April. Prior to that he had a costly mechanical failure in Abu Dhabi and ended up eighth. He also did not participate in New York race after he was sanctioned by Air Race officials following the incident Windsor in which the Australian and his aircraft skimmed the surface of the Detroit River. He was fourth in Rio, based on Qualifying day results, after the race was rained out.

“This has definitely been a frustrating season,” Hall said. “The good news is when I did get to race, I came second in a high-pressure home race. So we have lots to look forward to as we finish this year with lessons to carry forward.”

Hall is currently in 8th place overall with 22 points — not bad considering he has only three results compared to five results for the other pilots. The 22 points total is also only seven points behind fifth place — Pete McLeod of Canada. So a lot could still happen in the standings in the final race in Germany on August 7-8, where 12 points are up for grabs for the winner. Britain’s Paul Bonhomme — who the record books will show finished in third place and behind Hall in Perth — leads the championship with 53 points.

“My plans and goals for the race  in Germany are to demonstrate that we are still a force to be reckoned with in the future,” Hall said.

“I know I cannot affect the championship for 2010, though I can certainly make the top guys worry about the future by going into this race happy, relaxed and getting a good result with very smooth flying.”

Hall was the epitome of consistency in his rookie season. That helped him get third place overall even though he only once finished on the podium — third place at Porto — in six races in 2009. Unfortunately the pilot from Merewether NSW was not able to repeat that this year. Hall has had a lot of time since the North America races to reflect on the season.

“It has been a much-needed break between New York and Germany,” he said. “I had the chance to review all my lessons after my accident and address the issues that had surfaced. Of note was the way I had developed my business over the last 18 months, which had me basically involved in all aspects of the team. I was able to step back and reallocate responsibilities, which will lead to a more efficient team in the future as we continue to grow. That in turn has allowed me to relax more.”

Hall also said he was disappointed there will be no races in 2011 but welcomed the changes in the works for the long-term future of the sport.

“I understand the reasoning behind the decision,” he said. “There are a number of areas the air race have pinpointed to make the event stronger for the future, including development of a long term race calendar, stronger commercial relationships and organisational structure. This can only be a positive, as is the organisation’s commitment to improving safety.”

The Red Bull Air Race GmbH has confirmed that for the future success and development of the sport, the World Championship will take a one-year break in 2011.

The organisation will use this opportunity to fast track the technological advancements currently in the making which would further improve the already high levels of safety.

There is a need to revise the main organization and commercial areas to realize the full potential of the sport including the development and reinforcement of strong host city partnerships which would secure a long term race calendar.

Matt Hall, Australia’s only pilot in the championship, has responded in typical positive fashion.

“While I am obviously disappointed that I won’t get to race next year, especially after what has been a challenging 2010 so far, I understand the reasoning behind the decision of the Red Bull Air Race,” Hall said as he prepares for this season’s final round in Germany next week.

“There are a number of areas the air race have pinpointed to make the event stronger for the future, including development of a long term race calendar, stronger commercial relationships and organisational structure.

“This can only be a positive, as is the organisation’s commitment to improving safety.

“At this stage the announcement is still setting in and I will no doubt find out more about future plans in the coming weeks and months. Right now I am really focussed and excited about ending this year on a high.”

NBN in Australia interviewed Matt about the news and the upcoming race in Germany. Click here.

LAUSITZ, Germany – The race track over the EuroSpeedway in Germany will be one of the most interesting in the history of the Red Bull Air Race and the first time since 2007 that the Air Gates will be set up on land rather than on water. The track in front of the grandstand promises to be one of the most challenging this year with a lot of tight turns and unknown wind conditions.

To see the EuroSpeedway Lausitz race track, click here.

As a new location and new track, all the pilots will be using every second of the training sessions to search for the best lines through a series of turns totaling 540 degrees they will face in one quick segment shortly after the start. The pilots will also be trying to quickly learn how the winds affect the track conditions, especially with the grandstand possibly shielding portions of the track from winds coming from certain directions. Mastering that high-G,  turn-filled section shortly after the start could turn out to be the key to winning the race, according to former pilot and TV analyst Steve Jones.

“As you run through the start gate, the chicane is straight ahead,” Jones said. “There is no big turn to reduce your speed, so at 374 kph it is going to happy mighty fast. If the exit from the chicane is accurate, it will set you up for 540 degrees of aggressive turning that will happen in the next 20 seconds or so. But get this bit wrong and you will never catch up with the lines and angles you require, seconds could be lost as a result. Many different lines are available in these seemingly endless turns and any wind will change your options.”

After a slight breather at Gate 6, Jones said the pilots will again face high-G forces in a vertical turn at Gate 7. The series of high-G turns in the track will also slow the planes in the first lap, meaning they will have to fly the 540-degree turn section more tightly on Lap 2 in order to get good times, according to Jones.

Pilots are looking forward to the challenges of the new track, which is in eastern Germany between Berlin and Dresden and not far from the border to Poland and the Czech Republic. Many have said they like flying over land tracks – such as in Berlin (2006), Monument Valley (2007) and Interlaken (2007) – because there are so many places to land in a pinch if needed.

“I think it’s the future,” Bonhomme said when asked how he felt about flying over a motorsport race track for the first time. Bonhomme and Hungary’s Peter Besenyei will be flying in their 50th race in Germany.  “Let’s have a couple of iconic locations and the rest of the races over racetracks or airfields.”

For an animated view from the grandstand, watch the video below.

If you want to see how you would look under the sort of G-forces Matt and the rest of the Red Bull Air Race pilots face during a race, click on this cool Facebook link.

Want to learn more about Matt and what makes him tick?

This video, courtesy of the Red Bull Air Race, talks about where Matt is from, his earliest memories of flight, his family and what he does when he flies cross country.

He also talks about being the best he can be in all facets of life and the inner motivation that drives him in his quest for air race success.

So sit back and enjoy the story of Matt Hall, the humble pilot from Merewether in New South Wales.

In Matt’s most revealing interview ever with Steve and Grant from leading aviation podcast Plane Crazy Down Under he talks about his mishap in Windsor, his subsequent sanction, aircraft and team development, the disappointments that 2010 have brought so far and what’s on the cards next.

To see and hear more from Plane Crazy Down Under, click here.

The Red Bull Air Race in Budapest has been cancelled this year due to lengthy delays in the permissions process the organization announced with regret today.

Interrupting a six-year tradition of racing in the Hungarian capital, the Red Bull Air Race World Champion will now be crowned after the final race of the 2010 season at EuroSpeedway in Lausitz, Germany on 7 ^th & 8 ^th August.

Budapest has been an annual fixture on the Red Bull Air Race World Championship calendar since 2004 with enormous crowds of more than 600,000 spectators watching the racing from the banks of the Danube River. This year’s race, which would have been the seventh annual race in Budapest, was set for 19 ^th & 20 ^th August.

Red Bull Air Race GmbH CEO Bernd Loidl expressed his disappointment over the Budapest cancellation, which comes just a week after a race cancellation in Portugal due to unexpected delays in reaching a revised host city agreement.   But he said he hoped Budapest would be back on the calendar in 2011. Loidl also said the 2011 calendar – which will include a return to New York after the historic first race there in June; will be announced after the final round in Germany next month.

“Having safely and successfully executed the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Budapest for the past six years, it was a tough decision to make,” Loidl said.

“Following so close to the cancellation of the Portugal race last week, we are obviously disappointed and every effort will be made to see a return to Budapest in 2011. Securing the future of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship is paramount and making tough decisions is part of that process. We look forward to announcing the 2011 calendar after the final round in Germany including a much anticipated return to New York in the United States.”

The battle for the 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship will remain intense at Lausitzring in Germany, where defending champion Paul Bonhomme is holding a five-point lead over 2008 champion Hannes Arch of Austria. Arch has won three of the last five races and is confident he can overtake Bonhomme down the home stretch of the 2010 season to take his second title.

The race in Germany will be the 50 ^th Red Bull Air Race since the sport was created in 2003.  It has been a FAI-recognised world championship since 2005.

That dreaded noise indicating a pylon hit or a penalty is one that every air race fan knows.

So who makes the decision to award a penalty?

Or who calls a pilot out of the track if he thinks safetey is being compromised?

The race directors and head stewards, that’s who!

To find out more about what they do, watch this video courtesy of Red Bull Air Race.