3 November 2008
The Red Bull Air Racing season climaxed over the weekend in Perth, Australia, where British pilots Paul Bonhomme and Nigel Lamb took first and second places.
However, this wasn’t enough to give Bonhomme the championship. At the start of the weekend Austrian pilot Hannes Arch had needed just one championship point to secure the 2008 title, and by qualifying in the top eight on Saturday – and ensuring himself at least that single point in the race – the matter had been settled before race day. In the event, Arch took third place in the race.
He is the first European in the history of the championship to win the title. Paul Bonhomme came second.
The final table looks like this: Arch on 61 points, Bonhomme on 54 points and Kirby Chambliss in third on 46 points.
“I was very pleased to win here in Perth,” said Bonhomme. “I got to Perth early this year to get acclimatised and that paid off. The aeroplane is not really going that well but at least I have been flying it well here.”
Arch was magnanimous in victory. “Paul deserved the win today and I’m thrilled to win the overall Championship,” he said Arch, 41. “Over the whole season I had a very fast plane. The secret was to be consistent. I had the advantage of being behind Paul most of the season so the pressure was on him, not me. Today I felt the pressure and hit a pylon.”
