Last weekend in Rovinj would have been quite ordinary if this picturesque Adriatic town had not been the center of Red Bull's Air Race, the second of seven air races that will mark this year's championship of daring pilots and their wild planes.
Airplanes already on Friday they went over the Rovinj Bay and on Saturday they continued their journey between the 25-meter cones in training and later in the qualifications. After three years, when Red Bull Air Race is returning to the sky again, the organizers have reorganized the match and ensured better security, so the cones are also slightly higher than before, and a bunch of fearless men meander between them from 15 to 25 meters over the sea. This is something completely astonishing for the spectators looking up at the sky, but even the pilots admitted that the Rovinj track was quite a challenge.
"The course is very demanding and I think it is the most demanding course in the whole Red Bull Air Race. Even the environment is fascinating even in this bay next to it Rovinj and it can be quite emotional. Of course, the conditions that were, the wind, also something drops of rain fell, it further complicated the entire course and the tactics that we had prepared two days earlier - entrance, exit from the door, optimal lines, Yesterday, with this wind, everything simply fell apart and it was necessary to adjust the flying style very quickly," said our pilot about the difficulty of the route Peter Podlunšek, to whom the Challenger Cup narrowly missed the first place, but he took a well-deserved third place, which gave him momentum for the upcoming matches: "The feelings are really wonderful, I feel really relieved, because winning the third place in the first match is more than great for me and all in all I gives additional energy and motivation for the next matches in the season, and the first one will be in Malaysia the month of May and you are there too I want to repeat such a result."
A close battle of the best
Of course, the match in Malaysia will undoubtedly be of greater proportions, but still - in Rovinj according to the official information of the organizer, there was cheering, greeting, waving, firbcat whatever 50 thousand people, most from neighboring countries, but a handful also from distant places, especially of Japan, whose representative Yoshihide Muroya he is the first Asian in the race Red Bull's of air racing, which at the same time also won his first podium in his career - he was very proud of third place.
As he confided in us, he was quite relaxed during the qualifiers, but on the D-day he quickly realized that it was going for real, especially when he managed to fly into the top four.
Top of this match was slightly different than in the opening match in Abu Dhabi. He celebrated Hannes Arch, for whom a company of well-heeled fans from his native Austria came to support him. Two-time world champion Paul Bonhomme pulled away with a flawless performance and an enviable final time of 59.012 seconds to take the eighth win of his career, while Bonhomme, lest his rivals get too used to his victories, as he jokingly said in the post-match press conference, chased him with with a time of 59,097 seconds.
Damage to the plane eliminated the British
Tall heartbeat full race, which otherwise has quite simple rules - the pilots must fly between the cones as quickly as possible at the maximum speed allowed 370 kilometers per hour when entering through the start - it was not so unique and full of satisfying impressions for everyone. British Nigel Lamb just before takeoff, he touched the ground with the propeller and damaged the plane, leaving him empty-handed as he was eliminated from the battle. Canadian too Pete McLeod he was unlucky in the final - he landed in fourth place after penalty seconds. Nevertheless, the assembled audience, who could lie on the beach at will and wave flags and arms from the piers, were more than enthusiastic. "We came from Pula, the children are overjoyed because the race is really exciting," said Ivica, who came with his family and camera in hand to immortalize this a unique moment, which left each of us with a great adrenaline-filled memory.
Captured Moments - Air Bull Race Gallery
