The Red Bull Air Race lands in Putrajaya, Malaysia for its second stop in May 2014 – the first of two events to be held in Asia next season, and the Championship’s inaugural visit to Southeast Asia.

With more than a third of the city space reserved for freshwater wetlands, lakes, public parks, rainforest, as well as the country’s largest botanical gardens, it’s not surprising to learn that Putrajaya was planned and built on two fundamental concepts – the garden city, and the intelligent city. Developed in the 1990s based on an initiative of former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Bin Mohammad, Putrajaya is regarded as a flagship in sustainable human development. The green, open spaces of Putrajaya make Malaysia’s administrative capital seem a world away from the dense crowds and congestion of nearby national capital Kuala Lumpur.

Putrajaya’s founding ethos is to demonstrate the importance of a balanced life, and provides a variety of spaces in which its residents and visitors can escape the stresses and strains of daily life. One such open space is the 600-hectare man-made lake in the heart of the city. Designed as a localised climate moderator in the hot and humid equatorial conditions, the lake is also a popular leisure destination. Fittingly, the lake will serve as the course for the aerial action when Red Bull Air Race comes to town in May, 2014.

New Location, New Challenges

Whilst all of the pilots will have been more than familiar with the flying conditions during the first stop in Abu Dhabi – with all pilots having competed there in previous championships – the second stop in Putrajaya will provide a new set of challenges. In Malaysia, there are only really two seasons – wet and dry. May is considered one of the drier months in the Malay Peninsular. Temperatures average around 27C(81F) with highs of around 33C(91F), with persistent heavy downpours a very real possibility throughout the ‘dry’ month! So whilst the relatively dry desert heat of Abu Dhabi will have already seen the pilots battle with high temperatures and sea breezes, it’s fair to say that in Putrajaya, there will be a slightly different set of challenges to contend with.

Although the lake will serve as a localised climate moderator, the relative high humidity of the tropical climate of Putrajaya will not only test the pilots physically – with our bodies less able to lose heat in humid conditions – but the relative humidity could have an overall impact on engine performance too. This, together with the latest announcement that all Red Bull Air Race pilots will be flying standardised engines, means that Putrajaya will see the pilots’ skills and precision pushed to their limits.

Smoke on!