The smell of fear will be in the air this season as Russian pilot Sergey Rakhmanin unveils his all-new 350hp MXS-R race plane in Abu Dhabi on 17-18 April. Already revered by his fellow competitors for his considerable flying achievements gained in his pre-racing career, this potentially unstoppable combination of man and machine could see Rakhmanin moving up the ranks in 2009.

Flying the Edge 540 since his rookie season in 2007, the St Petersburg pilot placed his order for the MXS-R before the 2008 season kicked off but waited until the end of the year to take delivery. He will race the new plane from the traditional season opener in Abu Dhabi next month. Trained in the former USSR as a dedicated aerobatic pilot, Rakhmanin is considered among the very top of the world’s elite and his fellow competitors are right to be worried.

“The results of Nigel Lamb and Alex Maclean were changing to better performance with each race,” said Rakhmanin, who closely watched how the two MXS planes performed in their inaugural season. “For me it means that this plane has good potential. I clearly understand that some time is required to adapt myself to flying on this plane and I will be focused on this first of all.”

Rakhmanin travelled across the globe to the MX Aircraft operation in North Carolina, USA, in December so he could commence race training as soon as possible. He’s currently back there, working hard to ensure he’s fully familiar with the new plane. Rakhmanin aims to have flown 25 hours on the MXS-R by the first round of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship.

Yet to take a place on the podium, the pensive Russian could well be building up to a breakthrough performance in 2009 if his assessment of the MXS-R is correct. Rakhmanin recognised the potential of the plane even before Nigel Lamb made his debut with it last year. “I chose the MXS-R for many reasons but often you have to choose something when it is not possible to rely on the experience of others and you just have to trust your own instinct.”

Source: www.redbullairraces.com