3 June 2007
Over one million spectators crowded the banks of Golden Horn estuary in Istanbul, Turkey to watch American Mike Mangold beat Briton Paul Bonhomme in the fourth Red Bull Air Race World Series event of the season on Saturday 2 June.
The course was flown above the estuary that marks the boundary between Europe and Asia. In the quarter-final showdown – competitors go head-to-head in pairs – Peter Besenyei, the winner of the last Red Bull Air Race in Monument Valley, USA was nipped by Alejandro Maclean by just 0.04 seconds.
Mangold picked up his first win of the Red Bull Air Race World Series in a time of 01:31.78 minutes to edge out Paul Bonhomme, who trailed by 1.39 seconds through the circuit.
The Istanbul event, the fourth leg of the 10-race Red Bull Air Race World Series, was the first of the season in Europe and marked a return to water and sea level after last month’s stop in the altitude of Monument Valley. The next round takes place at Interlaken, Switzerland on 14-15 July.
Bonhomme currently leads the championship with 20 points followed by Mike Mangold just one point behind.
<a href=’http://www.redbullairrace.com’ target=’_blank’>Red Bull website</a>
