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.”

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.

You can check out the New York photo gallery by clicking here.

For full New York race results, click here.

Lamb (second), Bonhomme (first), Chambliss (third)

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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