PORTO, Portugal – Britain’s Paul Bonhomme and his rival for the championship Hannes Arch of Austria said they were disappointed they were unable to train on Thursday due to foggy weather conditions in and around Porto. They are ready and raring to go for the showdown in Porto and Gaia, Portugal for what could be the decisive battle in the 2009 Red Bull Air Race World Championship. The two frontrunners were formally welcomed to Porto along with the other 13 pilots by Mayor of Porto Rui Rio and Red Bull Air Race CEO Bernd Loidl on Wednesday ahead of the penultimate race of the season this weekend.

“It’s going to be a fast track,” said Bonhomme of the course set up on the Douro River between the two Portuguese cities hosting the race for a third year running. Bonhomme has been “Mr. Consistent” this year to banish memories of his erratic 2008 campaign and moved atop the table, one point ahead of Arch at the last race in Budapest with his third second-place finish of the season alongside his one victory in Windsor. “The faster you fly, the more drag you have,” he said ahead of the race in Porto, one of the few venues the British ace has never won. “And the more drag you have, the more power you need to overcome that. More engine power. That’s our plan. Hopefully the combination of more power and our aerodynamically efficient airplane should be a winning formula here.”

Arch, who moved into the championship lead in Porto exactly one year ago with a victory here, will be looking to take back the lead he relinquished to Bonhomme (42 points) in Budapest with a season-worst 4th place. Arch (41 points) was hit with a two-second penalty that knocked him off the podium for the first time in over a year.

“The expectations are simple: we want to finish the race in front of Bonhomme,” Arch said. “Of course we’re going to focus as well on the Qualifying round on Saturday in order to get the one point and equalise the championship standings.”

Arch has fond memories of Porto – it was his second career victory here last year that catapulted him in front of Bonhomme. Does he think Porto can decide the championship again this year: “One word: yes!”

Arch, who won the season opener this year in Abu Dhabi but struggled since then, added: “Looking at my last races, I hope I can win in Porto without getting any penalties. We’ve worked hard on the engine and the aircraft. I’ll try to focus as much as possible on myself. If I’m able to do that with a fast aircraft, I should be on top of the podium.”

But Americans Michael Goulian, who won in Budapest, and Kirby Chambliss, who got third in the last two races, will be looking for glory in Porto – the fastest track on the circuit with huge and enthusiastic crowds of over 600,000. “Obviously winning the championship is out of the question for us,” said Goulian, who is in 8th place overall with 18 points. “So for now, more podiums would be great.”

 

Source: Red Bull Air Race. Com
Photo: Rob Vogelasar