26 July 2007
<i>The latest news from the course is that home pilot Steve Jones posted the fastest time in today’s practice session. Despite the 30 kt gusts, he managed to post a time of 1:27.29, ahead of American Kirby Chambliss and fellow Brit Paul Bonhomme</i>
The Red Bull gladiators descended today on London City Two, the temporary airfield created to the north of LCY, and found gusty conditions and a challenging course for this weekend’s Red Bull London Air Race.
“We were really bouncing around and there are some interesting wind patterns coming off the ‘Dome’ and the buildings at Canary Wharf” said Paul Bohomme, the British Airways captain who is currently leading the 2007 Red Bull World series ranking.
Thirteen pilots will battle it out in heats on Saturday and the final competition on Sunday. Most are flying the American-built Edge 540 but all eyes will be on the brand new Extra 300SR, flown by Corsican-resident Nicolas Ivanoff. The Extra has a wing with an asymmetrical aerofoil section rather than the symmetrical section which is de rigeur for most high performance competition aircraft. Fellow competitors expect the Extra to achieve faster turns – but Ivanoff found today’s weather conditions ‘exciting’ so the weekend met reports are likely to be studied anxiously.
With an elaborate base, complete with hangars and the aviation equivalent of Formula One pits, the Red Bull team have mounted an impressive logistical exercise and the organisers expect large crowds on Saturday and Sunday at the London Racetrack with viewing areas on the south side of the river near the O-2 (Millennium Dome) and at Peruvian Wharf to the north of the laid-out racecourse just to the east of the Blackwall Tunnel.
See more pictures of the day <a href=”http://www.flyer.co.uk/news/redbull1.php”>here</a>, including some of the practice sessions.
<b>[Rod Simpson]</b>
