Blue sky, the smell of pine trees, the sea and... engine oil. The pleasant sound of waves and… an airplane engine? That's right. We are in the right place. After the canceled race in the Olympic Sochi in Russia, the Red Bull Air Race returns to Istria in picturesque Rovinj with a dizzying air race. Are we ready for another adrenaline weekend in the air?
For those of us who witnessed an amazing air race over Rovinj last year Red Bull Air Race and for those who only managed to see it online, this year offers another opportunity for adrenaline-filled days in Istria. At the end of May, instead of Sochi in Russia, Red Bull's planes will once again fly over the lovely Adriatic town of Rovinj. Last April, the extremely tense race was watched by more than 50 thousand enthusiastic spectators, who watched with open mouths the tense fight between the British Paul Bonhomme and Austrians Hannes Arch, and in the Challenger Cup class he took third place Slovenian aviator Peter Podlunšek, who also confided in us on his premiere flight that the course is very demanding, if not the most demanding in the entire Red Bull Air Race. We will be rooting for him in the Challenger Cup class again this year.
This year there are as many as eight races in seven different countries on three continents. The first race, which got the blood pumping in many people's veins, took place in February, just like last year, in Abu Dhabi, Bonhomme led the way to the top of the podium among 14 aspiring pilots, followed by him Hall, McLeod, Arch, last year's champion Lamb, Muroya, Crazy, Ivanov, Dolderer, Sonka, Only Vot, Goulian, Velarde and Chambliss. The next race will take place on May 16 and 17 in metropolitan Chiba, Japan, and 14 days later we will experience the top race in the nearest town of Rovinj.
The Red Bull Air Race is the fastest motorsport series, who is famous for his incredible speed, precision and skills, first took to the sky in 2003 and two years later caused a real adrenaline euphoria, which was accepted by millions of fans and ardent fans around the world. The visual spectacle is provided by the pilots who fearlessly fly their fast, light and flexible planes along the low-lying runway, whether over sea or land, and meander between the 25 meter high aerial pylons. After 2010, the races rested for three years in order to improve safety and reorganize them. Last year in Rovinj, for example, an accident happened to Nigel Lamb, because just before take-off he touched the ground with the propeller and damaged the plane. He didn't stay empty-handed for long, as he flew so well in the following matches that he ended up celebrating with the world champion trophy. So who will be our favorite this year?
