The Red Bull Air Race GmbH today announced that the final round of the 2010 World Championship, which was to be held in Portugal on 4th and 5th September, will be cancelled due to the unexpected delays in reaching a revised host city agreement. The negotiation process with Tourism Portugal and the associated cities of Lisbon, Porto and Gaia was positive, however time ran out to execute a race of this size, complexity and of the quality expected of the strong fan base in Portugal.

The 2010 race was originally announced on 21st December 2009 to take place in Portugal’s capital city, Lisbon. Earlier this year the City of Lisbon, in an effort to secure a longer term agreement for Portugal, approached the Cities of Porto and Gaia to develop a joint proposal which would have seen the race alternate between the north and south of Portugal over the next four years.

“The Red Bull Air Race is committed to keeping Portugal on the race calendar, however, due to the delays in finalising the agreement, we were faced with making a tough decision to cancel the race for 2010 due to the time available to plan and execute a quality event.” said Mr Bernd Loidl, CEO Red Bull Air Race GmbH.

“Making such a decision is not easy and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our valued sponsors, broadcast partners and fans around the world for their support and understanding. I would also like to thank the Cities of Lisbon, Porto and Gaia, along with Tourism of Portugal and Tourism of Lisbon, as every effort was made from all sides to reach a revised agreement; however, time simply ran out. We hope to continue discussions to see the race return to Portugal again in the near future,” Loidl said.

Just five years since it was officially launched, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship has evolved to become the most exhilarating and fastest growing motor sport on the planet and has touched down in spectacular locations around the world from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro to the West Coast of Australia, and most recently its debut in New York on the Hudson River.

The Red Bull Air Race World Championship is a visual spectacle unlike any other, delivering raw sporting drama set amidst vibrant landscapes. The sport has quickly built a staggering following around the world with millions captivated by the exciting and dynamic racing format.

Temora Aviation Museum is excited to announce that Red Bull Air Race competitor and former RAAF Top Gun fighter pilot Matt Hall will be the Master of Ceremonies for the Inland NSW Tourism Awards held at the Museum on July 24^th.

The Awards function will be a gala event taking place in the Museum’s Display Hangar surrounded by the Museum’s collection of historic aircraft.

Chief Executive Kenny Love said “we knew that hosting the Awards at the Museum would be an amazing experience but to have a top gun, combat decorated fighter pilot who is currently competing in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship – that just puts the icing on the cake. Matt is an incredible pilot and a great guy and he is planning to share some of his experiences with us on the night.”

Following in the footsteps of his grandfather who flew in World War II, Matt is a former Royal Australian Air Force Fighter Pilot, with over 1800 F/A-18 Hornet hours. He was an elite Fighter Combat (Top Gun) Instructor, and in 2006 completed a tour as the chief instructor for this demanding course.

He has received many awards along the way, including Dux of Pilot, Hornet and Fighter Combat Instructor courses, the 1997 Fighter Pilot of the Year and was awarded a Chief of Air Force commendation for his performance as the Chief Instructor of the 2006 FCI course.

He spent three years in the USA on a USAF exchange program, flying over 500 hours in the F-15E Strike Eagle, including combat. For his efforts, he was awarded combat decorations by both the US and Australia.

Matt resigned from the RAAF in 2009 to allow him to become a full time Race Pilot.

Hall is excited about the upcoming awards and returning to Temora.

“One of my favourite places to visit is Temora and the Aviation Museum where the people are always so welcoming and fun to be around,” Hall said.

“I am honoured to be able to be part of the Inland NSW Tourism awards at the museum, a place that I always enjoy visiting.

“I am sure this is going to be a night not to be missed. I know I can’t wait to be involved.”

Hall is bringing a two seat aerobatic aircraft, the Giles 202, to the Inland NSW Tourism Awards. The Giles is an unlimited aerobatic aircraft in which Matt has completed his competition aerobatics and Red Bull Air Race training. Two lucky guests at the Tourism Awards will win the opportunity of a lifetime to go flying with Matt as he demonstrates the three dimensional world that he lives in.

For details about the awards dinner, click here.

An aircraft travelling at almost 370km/h clips an inflated pylon and down it goes.

The next pilot is scheduled to arrive at this exact point in just a few minutes time, so….

Ever wondered how those guys get the pylons up so fast after an air race pilot has unwittingly ploughed through it?

Ever thought, what is that pylon made of and what does it look like inside?

Well here are all the answers in this video courtesy of Red Bull Air Race.

Yet another Queenslander, this time Chris Whyte, is the fourth monthly winner of the Matt Hall Racing YouTube video competition after the MHR crew picked Chris’ entry as June’s best.

Chris receives a gift pack including a Matt Hall Racing hat, T-shirt and Team Guide.

To find out more about the competition and put yourself in the running for one of two joy flights with Matt, click here.

Here is Chris’ video that features Matt flying in all sorts of different aircraft and environments. You may recognise the music too:

One of the most common sights air race television viewers get of the race airport is the Gridstand.

This temporary structure, which is shipped all over the world and erected for each race, is the place the aircraft are manually pushed into by the race teams before the pilot starts the engine and begins to taxi for take-off.

It’s a busy place during flying sessions where tensions and stress levels can be at their most heightened.

That means everybody in this secure area must be accredited to be there and it also means everybody, without question, has to think safety first.

To find out a little more about the gridstand, watch this video.

Most people know Matt is crazy about all forms of flight but not everybody knows about his love of hang gliding.

He began hang gliding as a teenager and although it’s been a few years since he last jumped off the cliff at Merewether he still keeps a keen eye on the sport.

Check out this video interview in New York by top international hang glider Corinna Schwiegershausen.

NEW YORK – A positive but circumspect Matt Hall watched on as Paul Bonhomme of Britain won the first-ever Red Bull Air Race in New York on Sunday with a scintillating performance under pressure in front of the most spectacular setting in the eight-year history of the sport.

Nigel Lamb took second place in a thrilling four-way battle between the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan while American Kirby Chambliss got his second straight podium with third place.

Hall did not participate in the race after he was sanctioned by Air Race officials following the incident in the most recent race in Windsor in which the Australian and his aircraft skimmed the surface of the Detroit River.

Bonhomme, the defending champion, prevailed in front of a huge crowd of 75,000 spectators watching from both sides of the Hudson River and a live U.S. television audience with one superb run after another through three pressure-packed rounds. Bonhomme had finished behind Austrian Hannes Arch for the last three races and was desperate to get back on top after the Team Abu Dhabi racer cut his lead in the championship to just one point. Arch pushed Bonhomme to his limits but saw his three-race winning streak shattered in dramatic fashion when he hit a pylon in the final 4 ending any hope of a podium finish.

Bonhomme stopped the clock at 1:10.01, the day’s fastest time on the 5.5-km track of 13 Air Gates set up on the majestic Hudson River between the Statue of Liberty and New York’s breathtaking skyline. Bonhomme had been the epitome of consistency with times of 1:10.09 in the Top 12 round and 1:10.07 in the Super 8 before lowering the mark again to 1:10.01 in the final. That was a full 2.05 seconds faster than Lamb and 2.08 faster than Chambliss. Arch was 5.34 back — hurt by the six-second penalty for hitting the pylon.

It was Bonhomme’s 12th straight podium — a record — and he now leads the championship with 53 points while Arch is second overall with 48 points. Team Breitling’s Nigel Lamb is third on 47 and Chambliss has 35.

“It’s very good — and what a setting,” Bonhomme said.

“I can appreciate the view now that I’ve finished racing. Great day. I concentrated on me, my airplane and the track. And now I think we can celebrate a bit.” Lamb, who got his third second-place finish this year after getting the same result in Abu Dhabi and Rio de Janeiro, called it “a fantastic result”.

Chambliss, the 2006 world champion, was delighted to be on the podium in his home race. “As an American, I’m very, very proud,” he said. “It’ll sink-in in a while. I have to personally thank Hannes for hitting that gate. Thank you Hannes!”

Arch was gracious in defeat on the biggest stage in the 49-race history of the Red Bull Air Race, a city where organizers have dreamed of staging a race since the world’s fastest growing motorsport was launched in 2003. It has been a FAI recognized world championship competition since 2005. Arch said he pulled out the stops to try to beat Bonhomme and get what would have been a record fourth straight victory and just barely hit the Air Gate, an inflatable pylon that he clipped with his wing.

Meanwhile, Hall was taking a typically positive mindset on a difficult situation as he watched the race from the exclusive High Flyers Lounge with his family.

“It’s not a normal environment for me to be sitting here watching the race. So it’s actually not a bad deal, as far as deals go.” Hall said.

“I was pleased to get training time in the track on Friday and I’ve analysed everything since then. We’ve changed the set up of the aircraft in an effort to reduce any risk of that ever happening again. We’re on the right track.”

The next race is in Lausitz, Germany on August 7 & 8.

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