Updated 22 December 2021

After a two-year racing hiatus, reigning Red Bull Air Race world champion Matt Hall officially confirms he will defend his world title in the new look Air Race World Championship which will hold its inaugural season commencing in May 2022.

Endorsed by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), Air Race is built on the legacy of the hugely popular Red Bull Air Race, with heightened focus on showcasing green aviation and the future of urban air mobility.

Hall welcomes the opportunity to defend his 2019 crown, “I’ve missed racing these last two years and was probably in my best ever form when racing stopped,” he says.

“Ask any world champion what the most exciting part of their journey is, they will no doubt say it is defending the crown and I am looking forward to that opportunity.

We’ve only recently been given the greenlight, so it’s exciting to start having conversations around assembling the team and partnership group.”

Hall said he is waiting on news that confirms Air Race will lock in a Lake Macquarie hosted race towards the end of the 2022 season. Negotiations are being lead by Dantia, the Lake Macquarie economic development company.

Willie Cruickshank race series director at Air Race says that Hall plays a crucial role as a key contender and as a highly regarded ambassador of the sport.

“Matt has accumulated seven wins and 25 podiums, making him the most successful air racing pilot in history to compete in Elite XR\1.

We welcome Matt and his contribution to Air Race and are currently in discussions to secure a race in his hometown of Lake Macquarie.”

Cruickshank says that the complete schedule of host cities will be unveiled in the New Year.

Team MHR is excited to re-emerge with a stunning transformation to take on the world’s best. Join MHR on their journey to achieve back-to-back world titles by subscribing to MHR for Air Race updates and follow MHR on social media.