I am now back home after the first race in Abu Dhabi last weekend. I have to admit, I am disappointed in the result, though optimistic for the year. Looking at it on the surface, I came 8^th, and could not get the aircraft started for the super 8.

If we scratch a little deeper we find the following:

We only had the aircraft flying for a total of 8 days prior to shipping to the first race. In that time, we had an engine failure and engine change, rewired a new electrical system in, and replaced a damaged vertical fin…not an ideal way to head into the first race.

At the race itself, we had very trying atmospheric conditions, fitting all the race equipment in the aircraft for the very first time, and chasing ongoing ‘new aircraft’ problems all week which resulted in 2 battery changes and 3 boost pump changes, and the fuel tank out of the aircraft 3 times.

While these are not meant to be excuses, when you then look at the improved times we did all week, working our way from 7^th on Training 1, to the second fastest time on a number of occasions, we actually kept it together pretty well.

I honestly believe that a podium was within easy reach had we kept the plane in the air.

I also look at the Championship in a broader view. I am in this for a long time hopefully, and while it seems devastating for the year, it is not for my career.

My goals this year continue to revolve around safety and improvement, with the results following from this attitude.When I look at my goals and the race, we actually did achieve them.

Once again, below the surface, things are actually on track, with a small dent in the armour specifically for this season’s Championship. I would rather be where I am, than having not been safe or not improved myself

The exciting news is we already have the aircraft in Perth, and Lenny is already working hard on improving it.

Things we are working on: new engine, new electrics, a few aerodynamic mods, and a new data tracking system for track analysis. All this, no jet lag for me, and a home crowd for the first time all points toward a good race for us. I will be arriving in Perth to train a week early, leaving home after just 6 days. I will be running the new engine in, and testing the new equipment for a number of days before the other teams turn up.

If you are in Perth, and specifically around Jandakot airport next week, keep an eye out for the yellow race plane with the Australian flag and the Southern Cross…give me a wave and I promise I will wave back!

Matt.

To check out the Abu Dhabi photo gallery click here.

For full Abu Dhabi race results, click here.

Lamb (second), Bonhomme (winner), Besenyei (third)

ABU DHABI – Australia’s Matt Hall suffered a frustrating setback in the first Red Bull Air Race of 2010 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday when a technical malfunction knocked him out of the competition even though he was flying extraordinarily well in difficult conditions and poised for a spot on the podium.

Hall had posted the second fastest net time in the first round, known as the “Top 12”, and had his sights on the second podium of his career despite the adverse weather conditions – scorching heat over 40 degrees and shifting winds filled with desert sand from the south that made the 15-Gate course treacherous.

Defending champion Paul Bonhomme of Britain took the victory with compatriot Nigel Lamb second and Hungary’s Peter Besenyei third.

For full Abu Dhabi race results, click here.

The former RAAF fighter pilot from Merewether NSW was clearly in his element over the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf in front of Abu Dhabi’s Corniche beaches as many of the pre-race favourites, including 2008 champion Hannes Arch, were knocked out.

But Hall’s new MXS-R plane, which had been fitted with obligatory HD camera equipment before the race, failed to start on the gridstand as he prepared to fly in the Super 8 round. He was forced to retire.

“Well, that didn’t end the way I had hoped,” said Hall, who looked gutted as he trudged back to his hangar after the plane failed to start for the round of 8.

Heartbreak after battery failure

“We’re running so much equipment in the aircraft that our battery just couldn’t keep up. We just couldn’t start the plane. I think I could have easily made the Final Four today with how I was flying and everyone being knocked out. I’ve lost about 4 or 5 points in the championship. We could have got in the rankings today with the engine we’re currently running. But it was down to an electrical issue.”

Hall, who last year was the most successful rookie in Red Bull Air Race history with a podium and third place overall, said he was already looking forward to the second race of the season in Perth on April 17-18.

“It was a disappointing finish because I think I was doing well and flying smoothly,” said Hall, who had put in a dazzling display of flying in the Top 12 round when many of the others struggled – until he just touched the penultimate gate and sliced it open with his wing. Without that six-second penalty his time would have been a 1:14.77 – only eventual winner Bonhomme was faster. In theory, Hall had enough speed to perhaps have taken even second place. Lamb’s second place time was 1:14.92.

“All I can do now is be confident in the way I’m flying and get ready for Perth,” said Hall. “I’m very excited and focused for Perth.”

Story courtesy of Red Bull Australia

ABU DHABI – Australia’s Matt Hall took a strong fourth place on Friday in the Qualifying session for the first Red Bull Air Race of 2010 in Abu Dhabi, flying two flawless runs despite stifling hot and humid conditions that put him in range of a spot on the podium.

The former RAAF fighter pilot had been only been sixth fastest in Wednesday’s final training but moved up to fifth on Thursday before climbing another notch on the time sheets in Friday’s tense Qualifying session, the most important run of the 2010 season so far when all 15 pilots were going all out to win the first championship point that was up for grabs after a long off-season of preparation.

With temperatures rising towards 34 degrees, Austria’s Hannes Arch won the one point, posting a time of 1:12.78 for his run through the 5.657-km long track set up just above the turquoise waters in front of Abu Dhabi’s impressive skyline. Two British rivals, Nigel Lamb and Paul Bonhomme, were second and third, respectively, while Hall was a competitive fourth. He was 2.22 seconds behind Arch but only a fraction of a second behind Bonhomme, the reigning champion.

“Overall, I think I can go a little faster than that,” said Hall.

“It didn’t go quite according to plan today but it was still pretty good. The first run wasn’t quite as clean as I was hoping and on the second run I knew I had already qualified for the top 10 so I did some experimenting with the lines. I could have gone a little quicker but I got some more data. I’ve got a couple of good ideas for the race tomorrow.”

To hear Matt make more comment on his second qualifying run click here.

Qualifying round action

Saturday’s race in Abu Dhabi kicks off the eight-race 2010 season. The second race will be a homecoming for Hall in Perth on April 17/18.

Hall, who has been racing the clock to get his new MXS-R plane ready for the season, has been working hard with his team to squeeze more power out of the U.S.-built aircraft.

“I’ve been nursing the engine and the air frame until now and I’ve been targeting certain areas of the track to work on improving,” said Hall, who was the most successful rookie in the five year history of the race in 2009 with third place overall. “Today was the first day we decided to draw full power out of the engine. We’ve been able to basically halve the gap to the leaders so I’m pleased about that.”

After the Qualifying, Hall caught up with about 30 other fighter pilots he flew together with on combat missions in Iraq in 2003 in the 336th Fighter Squandron. The squadron, mostly American Air Force pilots, were doing training exercises in the United Arab Emirates and were eager to see Hall and the Red Bull Air Race.

“It was good to catch up with those guys and they loved the racing,” said Hall, who retired from the RAAF in 2009 to join the race. “They were quite inspired. Quite a few of them came up to me and said ‘How do you get into this?’”

Matt catches up with some pals from the USAF 336 Fighter Squadron Rockets

Story courtesy of Red Bull Australia

To see the Abu Dhabi Race Track click here.

ABU DHABI – Matt Hall narrowed the time gap to less than a second to pacesetter Paul Bonhomme of Britain in the final training session of the Red Bull Air Race on Thursday ahead of Friday’s Qualifying for the first world championship battle of the 2010 season in Abu Dhabi but only managed to climb up one notch to fifth place in the time sheets as the competition intensified.

The Australian was pleased about his error-free run through the 6-km long track just metres above the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf and slashing the gap to Bonhomme from 3.49 seconds on Wednesday to just 0.98 seconds on Thursday. The former RAAF fighter pilot sounded confident that he can get his new MXS-R plane to fly faster in Qualifying and Saturday’s season opening race.

“It was a very clean run,” said Hall, who last year became the first rookie to win a podium. He also broke all records for newcomers, taking third place overall.

“That was my primary goal for this run – a no-penalty run,” said Hall. “In training I’m happy to get penalties but now it’s time to be a no-penalties sort of guy. And that was the objective. It’s all about getting your lines right and then when it counts putting it together. That was the first time I did a proper race run with power and took the lines as hard as I could.”

Hall’s time was 1:13.35 seconds, 0.98 behind Bonhomme but just 0.32 behind Austria’s Hannes Arch in fourth place.

The order of finish in the fourth and final training session determines the order for Qualifying, with the pilots starting in reverse order. Those starting towards the end have the advantage of seeing how the other pilots fly through the track and how they deal with the conditions. Hall likes to use the first three five-minute training sessions to experiment with his lines through the Air Gates before going into his race mode in the final session.

“Once again, it shows that smooth and no penalties gets good results,” said Hall, who was briefly holding in third place in the session behind only Bonhomme and Arch before Nigel Lamb of Britain and Nicolas Ivanoff of France moved ahead of him with their flights later in the session.

“It would be nice to go a bit faster,” said Hall. “I still think I can pick up a little bit more time in the vertical turning manoeuvre. But that’s indicative about where I’m going to be. I’m now ranked fifth and I’m not going to be able to get much better than that at the moment. We’ll see how it pans out.”

Hall said he was looking forward to using a more powerful engine, perhaps by the second race of the year in Perth on April 17-18.

“I’m getting good power out of this engine,” he said. “It’s just that I think the engine that I was planning on having for the racing is capable of putting out more power. The engine’s running well. It’s just that there’s a better engine out there to be had.”

Story courtesy of Red Bull Australia

ABU DHABI – Australia’s Matt Hall struggled in the first timed training sessions of the 2010 Red Bull Air Race season in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday but the former RAAF fighter pilot still managed to post the sixth fastest time ahead of the first race here on Saturday.

Hall, who last year became the most successful rookie in race history with third place overall, said he was confident he could fly the 6-km long track set up just above the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf a second or two faster than in the first sessions on Wednesday. Hall has a new MXS-R plane this year and been working hard to get the new high-performance aircraft in shape for the first of eight races this year. The second race is in Perth on April 17-18.

“I was happy with the flying in the track,” said Hall, a 38-year-old from Merewether NSW. “I was experimenting with some new lines. We’ve still got a bit more power to get out of the engine. I think I can go a second or two faster than what I’m doing now. We do have quite a few issues with the aircraft, with the power supply and the fuel system. We’re working pretty hard just to keep it in the air at the moment.”

Defending champion Paul Bonhomme of Britain posted the fastest time of the day, a 1:11.14, ahead of Nicolas Ivanoff of France and Hannes Arch of Austria. Hall was 3.49 seconds behind Bonhomme but, encouragingly, just 1:18 behind Arch in third spot. In the first training session in the morning Hall was seventh. The Qualifying is on Friday and the first race of 2010 is on Saturday.

Hall has had to surrender a natural weight advantage he held last year due to a new rule requiring all pilots who weight less than 82 kg to make up the difference with ballast. Hall, who was down to about 70 kg last year, is carrying a 10-kg dead weight under his seat. In a 12g turn that 10 kg briefly turns into 120 kg. Steve Jones, a former race pilot and now a race TV commentator, said the extra weight will probably amount to at most an extra 0.2 to 0.3 seconds on Hall’s racing times.

“It’s not that noticeable because last year my plane was about 10 kg overweight,” Hall said, referring to a 540 kg minimum weight for the propeller plane. “So as an overall package we’re at about the same weight. The plane feels similar overall. It is a little quicker.”

But Hall also saw in the first session in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday that many of his rivals have made considerable improvements over the winter and that getting on the podium this year, like he did in Porto, will be significantly harder.

“There are some pretty damn quick planes out there at the moment,” he said. “Some of the guys have done good work over the break. It’s going to be a lot of hard work for us.”

Story courtesy of Red Bull Australia

Crane Climbing (Photo Hamish Blair-Getty Images)