AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Japan’s Yoshi Muroya, who has been training hard through New Zealand’s summer for the 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship, was able to show off some of his high-speed, low-altitude flying prowess in front of a big crowd gathered at the Auckland Anniversary Day celebrations in the city’s famous harbour on Feb. 1.

Muroya, who emerged as one of the most improved pilots late in his rookie season, delighted the many thousands of spectator by flying a Sukhoi 29 owned by his team coordinator Rob Fry in a high-energy 15-minute demonstration over the harbour in Auckland, known as the “City of Sails” because it has more yachts per capita than any city in the world.

“The Red Bull Air Race is quite well known here in New Zealand,” said Muroya, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Jan. 27. Muroya was one of four rookies last year is counting on winning over New Zealand fans away from Australia’s Matt Hall, another rookie in 2009.

“Many people have been following it on TV,” Muroya added. “There is a strong sporting rivalry between New Zealand and Australia. I think as long as there’s no New Zealand pilot in the race, the people would probably support the Aussie pilot. But now that I’ve been here for so long I’m sure the New Zealand fans will be cheering for me.”

Popular in Japan and New Zealand

Muroya, the first Asian pilot in the championship, has helped make the Red Bull Air Race popular in his home country Japan and is hoping that there will one day be a race staged in Tokyo.

“There were so many TV programmes about the Red Bull Air Race in Japan and now many people know what the race is,” he said. “They’re really looking forward to having a race in Japan one day.”

During this off-season, Muroya has been shuttling between Japan and New Zealand. He has spent about half the time between December and February in the warmer climate here in a series two-week stints with his Auckland-based team coordinator Fry, working on his flying skills and on improvements in his Edge 540.

“The weather is fine so the flying is easy and the plane is progressing so things are good here,” Muroya said. “Rob Fry lives here in Auckland and I’m staying at his home, which is just a one-minute walk from his hangar on a small airfield. The people are really nice and the local reaction has been very positive. It’s a safe, laid-back environment.”

The training conditions in Auckland are also superb, he said. “There’s a designated low-flying area nearby over the water. There’s also plenty of technical support nearby. New Zealand is also easily accessible to Japan. There’s only a four-hour time difference.”

Muroya, an avid snowboarder, has also spent time in the off-season on the slopes in Japan. “Snowboarding in Japan and then swimming in the sea in New Zealand,” he said, surprised himself by the temperature extremes he has been shifting back and forth through since December.

Aims for top 7 finish in 2010

Muroya displayed an admirable degree of self-discipline to stick closely to his plan for his first season with an emphasis on safety and acquiring experience in the first four races before attacking for points in the final two rounds.

He hopes to make a big move up in the championship standings in 2010. After finishing 13th with 9 points in 2009 and getting a season-best in the final race of the year in Barcelona, Muroya has set his sites on 7th place overall in 2010.

“The plane is coming along well,” he said. “We’re making a lot of modifications during the summer here. I’ve been able to prepare and train more than last year so I’m looking forward to getting off to a good start in Abu Dhabi. I’ve got an overall development plan for 2010 and I’m progressing along that nicely. The off-season training is going well so I expect to see much better results in 2010.”

One area Muroya hopes to improve in the upcoming season will be cutting down on pylon hits. He took the dubious distinction of having the most pylon hits in his rookie season but chalks that up to experience. He’s confident he won’t “win” that title again this year.

“I’m the reigning world champion for pylon hits but I need to hand that over to someone else,” he said. “I think I’ve tested the strength of the Air Gates enough.”

Source and picture: RedBullairrace.com