Red Bull Air Race

Race calendar: The 2019 Red Bull Air Race World Championship was originally supposed to span eight races on three continents with 14 Master Class pilots competing. However, on 29 May 2019 Red Bull announced their decision to discontinue the race series after only three more events in 2019.
Master Class pilots comprised Cristian Bolton (CHI), Mikaël Brageot (FRA), Kirby Chambliss (USA), Matthias Dolderer (GER), Michael Goulian (USA), Matt Hall (AUS), Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA), Petr Kopfstein (CZE), François Le Vot (FRA), Pete McLeod (CAN), Ben Murphy (UK), Yoshihide Muroya (JPN), Martin Šonka (CZE), and Juan Velarde (SPA).
The Challenger Cup saw six pilots flying the official race circuits on race day prior to the first round of the Master Class competition. The Challenger pilots comprised Mélanie Astles (FRA), Florian Bergér (GER), Kenny Chiang (HK), Kevin Coleman (USA), Dario Costa (ITA), Luke Czepiela (POL), Patrick Davidson (RSA), Daniel Ryfa (SWE), and Baptiste Vignes (FRA). The three rookies Sammy Mason (USA), Patrick Strasser (AUT) and Vito Wyprächtiger (SUI) completed the line-up. Red Bull provided standardised Zivko Edge 540 V2 planes for the Challenger Cup.

Race format: Fastest time from two qualification runs defined ranking for race day. Seven winners of head-to-head races in the Round of 14 proceeded to the next stage, plus the fastest loser. The Round of 8 again saw heats with the pilots being reseeded based on the times they clocked in the Round of 14. The fastest from the previous round races against the slowest, and so on. The four winners proceeded to the Final 4 where they raced against the clock. However, if both pilots in a heat did not post a valid time, another lucky loser would proceed to the next round based on clocked time. This rule change applied to Round of 14 as well as Round of 8. The Challenger Class race took place before the Round of 14 contest.
Standard engines (Lycoming Thunderbolt AEIO-540-EXP), propellers (Hartzell composite 3-blade 'The Claw') and exhaust systems were to be employed by all pilots. Pylons (air gates) were kept 25 m high for safety reasons. Knife edge flying through gates and the quadro gate remain removed from the race format.

Scoring: The fastest in qualifying will get 3 points, the second 2 points, and the third 1 point. The winner on race day will get 25 points, the second 22 points, the third 20 points, and the fourth 18 points. Pilots advancing to the Round of 8 will receive a five-point bonus: the fifth 14 points, the sixth 13 points, the seventh 12 points, and the eighth 11 points. The ninth will get 5 points, the tenth 4 points, down to 1 point for thirteenth place. However, any pilot collecting a DQ in any round will receive no points at all.

Penalties: 3 seconds each for the first two pylon hits in a run; 2 seconds for flying too high or too low, as well as incorrect level flying; 1 second for missing smoke, for entry speed between 201 kn [181 kn] (372.3 km/h | 335.2 km/h) and 201.99 kn [181.99 kn] (374.1 km/h | 337.1 km/h), as well as for operational violations specific to a given race track such as incorrect vertical turning manoeuvre. Pulling more than 11 g but under 12 g ('Over G', indicated via telemetry or post-flight analysis) will also result in a 1-second penalty. The general entry speed limit of 200 kn (370.4 km/h) may be reduced by the race committee to 190 kn (351.9 km/h) or 180 kn (333.4 km/h), respectively, under certain circumstances.
Did not finish (DNF): Third pylon hit in a run, pulling more than 12 g (Master Class) and 11 g (Challenger Class), respectively, indicated via telemetry or post-flight analysis ('Exceeding maximum G'), entry speed above 202 kn [182 kn] (374.1 km/h | 337.1 km/h), excessively incorrect turning manoeuvre, as well as deviation from the course.
Disqualification (DQ): Uncontrolled flying (e.g. closer than 10 m to the ground), crossing the safety line, engine above 2,950 rpm limit (indicated via post-flight analysis), as well as missing the post-flight minimum weight of 696 kg.

Race calendar: The 2018 Red Bull Air Race World Championship did span eight races on four continents with 14 Master Class pilots competing. Master Class pilots comprised Cristian Bolton (CHI), Mikaël Brageot (FRA), Kirby Chambliss (USA), Matthias Dolderer (GER), Michael Goulian (USA), Matt Hall (AUS), Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA), Petr Kopfstein (CZE), François Le Vot (FRA), Pete McLeod (CAN), Yoshihide Muroya (JPN), Martin Šonka (CZE), Juan Velarde (SPA), as well as rookie Ben Murphy (UK) progressing from the Challenger Cup.
The Challenger Cup saw ten pilots flying the official race circuits on race day prior to the first round of the Master Class competition. The Challenger pilots comprised Mélanie Astles (FRA), Florian Bergér (GER), Kenny Chiang (HK), Kevin Coleman (USA), Luke Czepiela (POL), Daniel Genevey (HUN), Daniel Ryfa (SWE), and Baptiste Vignes (FRA). The two rookies Dario Costa (ITA) and Patrick Davidson (RSA) will complete the line-up.
Red Bull provided standardised Zivko Edge 540 V2 planes for the Challenger Cup. The six pilots with the best scores from four races, counted after the penultimate race, were invited to the season finale. The pilot with the best overall score at the season finale was to be crowned the Challenger Cup champion.

Race format: Fastest time from two qualification runs defines ranking for race day. Seven winners of head-to-head races in the Round of 14 proceed to the next stage, plus the fastest loser. The Round of 8 again sees heats with the pilots being reseeded based on the times they clocked in the Round of 14. The fastest from the previous round races against the slowest, and so on. The four winners proceed to the Final 4 where they race against the clock. However, if both pilots in a heat do not post a valid time, another lucky loser will proceed to the next round based on clocked time. This rule change applies to Round of 14 as well as Round of 8. The Challenger Class race will take place before the Round of 14 contest.
Standard engines (Lycoming Thunderbolt AEIO-540-EXP), propellers (Hartzell composite 3-blade 'The Claw') and exhaust systems to be employed by all pilots. Pylons (air gates) are kept 25 m high for safety reasons. Knife edge flying through gates and the quadro gate remain removed from the race format.

Scoring: The winner on race day gets 15 points, the second 12 points, the third 9 points, the fourth 6 points, the fifth 5 points, down to one point for ninth place. However, any pilot collecting a DQ in any round will receive no points at all.

Penalties: 3 seconds each for the first two pylon hits in a run; 2 seconds for flying too high, as well as incorrect level flying; 1 second for missing smoke, for entry speed between 201 kn [181 kn] (372.3 km/h | 335.2 km/h) and 201.99 kn [181.99 kn] (374.1 km/h | 337.1 km/h), as well as for operational violations specific to a given race track. Pulling more than 10 g for more than 0.6 seconds ('Over G', indicated via telemetry or post-flight analysis) will result in a 2-second penalty instead of a DNF. The general entry speed limit of 200 kn (370.4 km/h) may be reduced by the race committee to 180 kn (333.4 km/h) under certain circumstances.
Disqualification (DQ): Uncontrolled flying (e.g. closer than 10 m to the ground), third pylon hit in a run, crossing the safety line, pulling more than 12 g (Master Class) and 11 g (Challenger Class), respectively, indicated via telemetry or post-flight analysis ('Exceeding maximum G'), entry speed above 202 kn [182 kn] (374.1 km/h | 337.1 km/h), engine above 2,950 rpm limit (indicated via post-flight analysis), as well as missing the post-flight minimum weight of 698 kg (with a tolerance of -5 kg).

Race calendar: The 2017 Red Bull Air Race World Championship did span eight races on four continents with 14 Master Class pilots competing. Master Class pilots comprised Cristian Bolton (CHI), Kirby Chambliss (USA), Matthias Dolderer (GER), Michael Goulian (USA), Matt Hall (AUS), Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA), Petr Kopfstein (CZE), François Le Vot (FRA), Pete McLeod (CAN), Yoshihide Muroya (JPN), Peter Podlunšek (SLO), Martin Šonka (CZE), Juan Velarde (SPA), as well as Mikaël Brageot (FRA) progressing from the Challenger Cup. The Challenger Cup saw nine pilots flying the official race circuits on race day prior to the first round of the Master Class competition. The Challenger pilots comprised Mélanie Astles (FRA), Florian Bergér (GER), Kevin Coleman (USA), Luke Czepiela (POL), Ben Murphy (UK) and Daniel Ryfa (SWE). The three rookies Kenny Chiang (CHI), Daniel Genevey (HUN) and Baptiste Vignes (FRA) completed the line-up.
Red Bull again provided standardised Extra EA-330LX planes for the Challenger Cup. The six pilots with the best scores from four races, counted after the penultimate race, were invited to the season finale. The pilot with the best overall score at the season finale was to be crowned the Challenger Cup champion.

Race format: Fastest time from two qualification runs defines ranking for race day. Seven winners of head-to-head races in the Round of 14 proceed to the next stage, plus the fastest loser. The Round of 8 again sees heats with the pilots being reseeded based on the times they clocked in the Round of 14. The fastest from the previous round races against the slowest, and so on. The four winners proceed to the Final 4 where they race against the clock. However, if both pilots in a heat do not post a valid time, another lucky loser will proceed to the next round based on clocked time. This rule change applies to Round of 14 as well as Round of 8. The Challenger Class race will take place before the Round of 14 contest.
Standard engines (Lycoming Thunderbolt AEIO-540-EXP), propellers (Hartzell composite 3-blade "The Claw") and exhaust systems to be employed by all pilots. Pylons (air gates) are kept 25 m high for safety reasons. Knife edge flying through gates and the quadro gate remain removed from the race format.

Amended scoring: The winner on race day gets 15 points, the second 12 points, the third 9 points, the fourth 6 points, the fifth 5 points, down to one point for ninth place. However, any pilot collecting a DQ in any round will receive no points at all.

Penalties: 3 seconds each for the first two pylon hits in a run; 2 seconds for flying too high, as well as incorrect level flying; 1 second for missing smoke, for entry speed between 201 kn (372.3 km/h) and 201.99 kn (374.1 km/h), as well as for operational violations specific to a given race track. Pulling more than 10 g for more than 0.6 seconds (indicated via telemetry or post-flight analysis) will result in a DNF.
Note. The general entry speed limit of 200 kn (370.4 km/h) had been reduced by the race committee to 180 kn (333.4 km/h) for both Master Class and Challenger Cup races in Porto.
Disqualification (DQ): Uncontrolled flying (e.g. closer than 10 m to the ground), third pylon hit in a run, crossing the safety line, pulling more than 12 g (indicated via telemetry or post-flight analysis), entry speed above 202 kn (374.1 km/h), engine RPM above limit (indicated via post-flight analysis), as well as missing the post-flight minimum weight of 698 kg (with a tolerance of -5 kg).

Race calendar: The 2016 Red Bull Air Race World Championship did span eight races on four continents with 14 pilots ("Master Class") competing. Master Class pilots comprised Hannes Arch (AUT), Kirby Chambliss (USA), Matthias Dolderer (GER), Michael Goulian (USA), Matt Hall (AUS), Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA), Nigel Lamb (UK), François Le Vot (FRA), Pete McLeod (CAN), Yoshihide Muroya (JPN), Martin Šonka (CZE), Juan Velarde (SPA), as well as Petr Kopfstein (CZE) and Peter Podlunšek (SLO) progressing from the Challenger Cup. The Challenger Cup saw eight pilots flying the official race circuits on race day prior to the first round of the Master Class competition. The Challenger pilots comprised Cristian Bolton (CHI), Daniel Ryfa (SWE), Francis Barros (BRA) and Florian Bergér (GER). The three rookies Mélanie Astles (FRA), Kevin Coleman (USA) and Ben Murphy (UK), and returning Luke Czepiela (POL) completed the line-up.
Red Bull again provided standardised Extra EA-330LX planes for the Challenger Cup. The six pilots with the best scores from three races were invited to the season finale.

Race format: Fastest time from two qualification runs defines ranking for race day. Seven winners of head-to-head races in the Round of 14 proceed to the next stage, plus the fastest loser. The Round of 8 again sees heats with the pilots being reseeded based on the times they clocked in the Round of 14. The fastest from the previous round races against the slowest, and so on. The four winners proceed to the Final 4 where they race against the clock. However, if both pilots in a heat do not post a valid time, another lucky loser will proceed to the next round based on clocked time. This rule change applies to Round of 14 as well as Round of 8. The Challenger Class race will take place before the Round of 14 contest.
Standard engines (Lycoming Thunderbolt AEIO-540-EXP), propellers (Hartzell composite 3-blade "The Claw") and exhaust systems to be employed by all pilots. Pylons (air gates) are kept 25 m high for safety reasons. Knife edge flying through gates and the quadro gate remain removed from the race format.

Amended scoring: The winner on race day gets 15 points, the second 12 points, the third 9 points, the fourth 6 points, the fifth 5 points, down to one point for ninth place. However, every pilot collecting a DQ in any round will receive no points at all.

Penalties: 3 seconds each for the first two pylon hits in a run; 2 seconds for flying too high, as well as incorrect level flying; 1 second for missing smoke, for entry speed between 201 kn (372.3 km/h) and 201.99 kn (374.1 km/h), as well as for operational violations specific to a given race track. Pulling more than 10 g for more than 0.6 seconds (indicated via telemetry or post-flight analysis) will result in a DNF.
Note. The general entry speed limit of 200 kn (370.4 km/h) had been reduced by the race committee to 180 kn (333.4 km/h) for the Master Class race in Abu Dhabi.
Disqualification (DQ): Uncontrolled flying (e.g. closer than 10 m to the ground), third pylon hit in a run, crossing the safety line, pulling more than 12 g (indicated via telemetry or post-flight analysis), entry speed above 202 kn (374.1 km/h), engine RPM above limit (indicated via post-flight analysis), as well as missing the post-flight minimum weight of 698 kg (with a tolerance of -5 kg).

Race calendar: The 2015 Red Bull Air Race World Championship did span eight races on three continents with 14 pilots ("Master Class") competing. Master Class pilots comprised Hannes Arch (AUT), Péter Besenyei (HUN), Paul Bonhomme (UK), Kirby Chambliss (USA), Matthias Dolderer (GER), Michael Goulian (USA), Matt Hall (AUS), Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA), Nigel Lamb (UK), François Le Vot (FRA), Pete McLeod (CAN), Yoshihide Muroya (JPN), Martin Šonka (CZE) and Juan Velarde (SPA). The Challenger Cup would see seven pilots flying the official race circuits on race day prior to the first round of the Master Class competition. The Challenger pilots comprised Cristian Bolton (CHI), Mikaël Brageot (FRA), Petr Kopfstein (CZE), Peter Podlunšek (SLO), Daniel Ryfa (SWE), plus two rookies for the 2015 season, Francis Barros (BRA) and Florian Bergér (GER).
Red Bull again provided standardised Extra EA-330LX planes for the Challenger Cup. The six pilots with the best scores from three races were invited to the season finale.

Race format: Fastest time from two qualification runs defines ranking for race day. Seven winners of head-to-head races in the Round of 14 proceed to the next stage, plus the fastest runner-up. The Round of 8 again sees head-to-head races, with the four winners proceeding to the Final 4 where they race against the clock. The Challenger Class race will take place before the Round of 14 contest.
Standard engines (Lycoming Thunderbolt AEIO-540-EXP), propellers (Hartzell composite 3-blade "The Claw") and exhaust systems to be employed by all pilots. Pylons (air gates) are kept 25 m high for safety reasons. Knife edge flying through gates and the quadro gate remain removed from the race format.

Scoring: The winner on race day gets 12 points, the second 9 points, the third 7 points, the fourth 5 points, down to one point for eigth place.

Penalties: 3 seconds each for the first two pylon hits in a run; 2 seconds for flying too high, as well as incorrect level flying; 1 second for missing smoke, as well as for entry speed between 201 kn (372.3 km/h) and 201.99 kn (374.1 km/h)
Disqualification (DQ): Uncontrolled flying (e.g. closer than 10 m to the ground), third pylon hit in a run, crossing the safety line, pulling more than 10 g (indicated via telemetry or post-flight analysis), entry speed above 202 kn (374.1 km/h), as well as missing the post-flight minimum weight of 698 kg (with a tolerance of -5 kg)

⇒ Further reading: Abu Dhabi 2015 race review (15-Feb-2015)

Race calendar: The 2014 Red Bull Air Race World Championship did span eight races on three continents with 12 pilots ("Master Class") competing. Master Class pilots comprised Hannes Arch (AUT), Péter Besenyei (HUN), Paul Bonhomme (UK), Kirby Chambliss (USA), Matthias Dolderer (GER), Michael Goulian (USA), Matt Hall (AUS), Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA), Nigel Lamb (UK), Pete McLeod (CAN), Yoshihide Muroya (JPN) and Martin Šonka (CZE); Sergey Rakhmanin (RUS) will be the backup pilot. A Challenger Cup would see eleven new pilots occasionally flying the official race circuits on qualifying day, as well as dedicated training camps. The rookie pilots comprised Tom Bennett (UK), Mikaël Brageot (FRA), Petr Kopfstein (CZE), François Le Vot (FRA), Peter Podlunšek (SLO), Daniel Ryfa (SWE), Claudius Spiegel (GER) and Juan Velarde (SPA). In addition, Cristian Bolton (CHI), Lukasz Czepiela (POL) and Halim Othman (MAL) joined the Challenger Cup in April.
Red Bull provided standardised Extra EA-330LX planes for the Challenger Cup. The six pilots with the best scores from three races were invited to the season finale in Austria.

Race format: Fastest time from two qualification runs defines ranking for race day. Six winners of head-to-head races in Top 12 round proceed to next round, plus two fastest runner-ups. The four fastest pilots in the Super 8 round proceed to the Final 4.
Standard engines (Lycoming Thunderbolt AEIO-540-EXP), propellers (Hartzell composite 3-blade "The Claw") and exhaust systems to be employed by all pilots. Pylons (air gates) grown for safety reasons to 25 m height, from 20 m in previous years. Knife edge flying through gates and the quadro gate have been removed from the race format.

Scoring: The winner on race day gets 12 points, the second 9 points, the third 7 points, the fourth 5 points, down to one point for eigth place.

Penalties: 2 seconds for flying too high, as well as for incorrect level flying, 1 second for missing smoke; revised rules for Gdynia race: 2 seconds for first two pylon hits in a run, 1 second for entry speed between 201 kn and 201.99 kn
Disqualification (DQ): Hitting a pylon, uncontrolled flying (e.g. closer than 10 m to the ground), crossing the safety line, exceeding of the entry speed of 200 kn (370.4 km/h), pulling more than 10 g (indicated via telemetry or post-flight analysis), and missing of the post-flight minimum weight of 698 kg (with a tolerance of -5 kg) will all result in DQ; revised rules for Gdynia race: third pylon hit in a run, as well as entry speed above 202 kn (374.1 km/h) will result in DQ

⇒ Further reading: Mid-season review 2014 (18-May-2014)

Race calendar: The 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship comprised six races on four continents with 15 pilots competing. The two final scheduled races in Budapest (Hungary) and in Portugal had to be cancelled.

Race format: The ten fastest pilots from either of two qualifying sessions qualified directly for the race. Two more pilots advanced from the Wild Card race to the Top 12. The fastest eight pilots then advanced to the Super 8, whereas the podium was to be determined in the Final 4.

Scoring: The fastest pilot from qualifying received an extra point. The winner on race day got 12 points, the second 10 points, the third 9 points and so on, down to one point for eleventh place.

Penalties: 6 seconds for hitting an air gate, 2 seconds for flying too high, for incorrect knife or level flying as well as for exceeding the entry speed (370 km/h), and 1 second for insufficient smoke.

Race calendar: The 2009 Red Bull Air Race World Championship comprised six races on three continents with 15 pilots competing.

Race format: The ten fastest pilots from either of two qualifying sessions qualified directly for the race. Two more pilots advanced from the Wild Card race to the Top 12. The fastest eight pilots then advanced to the Super 8, whereas the podium was to be determined in the Final 4.

Scoring: The fastest pilot from qualifying received an extra point. The winner on race day got 12 points, the second 10 points, the third 9 points and so on, down to one point for eleventh place.

Penalties: 6 seconds for hitting an air gate, 2 seconds for flying too high, for incorrect knife or level flying as well as for exceeding the entry speed (370 km/h).

Race calendar: Renamed the Red Bull Air Race World Championship after the fifth race of the season, the 2008 championship comprised eight races on four continents with 12 pilots competing. Two more races scheduled for Stockholm (Sweden) and Valencia (Spain) had to be cancelled.

Race format: The fastest times from either of two qualification runs determined the starting order for the race. In Point 1 session the four slowest pilots from qualifying were competing for one championship point for ninth place. From the Super 8 session, the four fastest pilots advanced to the Finals including the fly-off for third place.

Scoring: The winner on race day got 9 points, the second 8 points and so on, down to one point for ninth place.

Penalties: 10 seconds for hitting a gate, 3 seconds for flying too high, as well as 3 seconds for incorrect knife or level flying.

Race calendar: Then called the Red Bull Air Race World Series, the 2007 championship comprised ten races on four continents with 13 pilots competing. Two more races scheduled for Barcelona (Spain) and Acapulco (Mexico) had to be cancelled.

Race format: The fastest times from either of two qualification runs determined the twelve pilots to advance to the Elimination round. The fastest eight pilots entered the quarter final, then the four fastest pilot advanced to the semi-final. In final and consolation final, winner and third place were determined.

Scoring: The winner on race day got 6 points, the second 5 points and so on, down to one point for sixth place.

Penalties: 10 seconds for hitting a gate, 3 seconds for flying too high, as well as 3 seconds for incorrect knife or level flying.

Race calendar: Then called the Red Bull Air Race World Series, the 2006 championship comprised eight races on four continents with 11 pilots competing. The third scheduled race at St. Petersburg (Russia) had to be cancelled.

Race format: The combined time from two qualification rounds determined the starting order for the race. The fastest combined time from two runs on race day determined the winner.

Scoring: The winner on race day got 6 points, the second 5 points and so on, down to one point for sixth place.

Penalties: 10 seconds for hitting a gate, 3 seconds for flying too high, as well as 3 seconds for incorrect knife or level flying.

Race calendar: The first Red Bull Air Race World Series in 2005 comprised seven races on four continents with 10 pilots competing for the first official championship.

Race format: From the second race of the season on, the fastest combined time from two runs determined the winner.

Scoring: The winner on race day got 6 points, the second 5 points and so on, down to one point for sixth place.

Penalties: 10 seconds for hitting a gate, 3 seconds for flying too high, as well as 3 seconds for incorrect knife or level flying.

Race calendar: The first Red Bull Air Race season 2004 comprised three races on two continents with 11 pilots competing.

Race format: The fastest combined time from two runs determined the winner. Cone shaped air gates were introduced which would withstand higher wind speeds than the original cylindrical ones.

Scoring: The winner on race day got 6 points, the second 5 points and so on, down to one point for sixth place.

Penalties: 10 seconds for hitting a gate, 3 seconds for flying too high, as well as 3 seconds for incorrect knife or level flying.

Race calendar: Two Red Bull Air Race test events took place in Europe in 2003 following design, development and testing of the new air race concept since 2001. A total of 7 pilots showed up in the two races.

Race format: The fastest combined time from two runs determined the winner.

Scoring: The winner on race day got 6 points, the second 5 points and so on, down to one point for sixth place.

Penalties: 10 seconds for hitting a gate, 3 seconds for flying too high, as well as 3 seconds for incorrect knife or level flying.