Massive Crowds Love Red Bull Air Race in Porto

Canada’s Pete McLeod Grabs Second Again

American pilot Kirby Chambliss was on the verge of his third consecutive race win at the Red Bull Air Race stop in Porto, Portugal on Sunday, but it wasn’t to be. A two-second penalty dropped the two-time titleholder to fourth in the race and third in the overall standings – but with a deuce of races to go, he could still top the World Championship podium in Indianapolis this October.

PORTO, PORTUGUL – The Czech Republic’s Martin Šonka claimed the second race win of his career at Porto to usurp Chambliss at the top of the overall leaderboard. In a Final 4 that set 600,000 hearts racing on the banks of the Douro River, Canada’s Pete McLeod captured second for the third race in a row, and Matt Hall of Australia clinched third.

Šonka – the only pilot in the Final 4 never to have raced in Porto – went first and threw down the gauntlet with 1:07.229. Chambliss then served up a net time of 01:07.141, but his time penalty for climbing in a gate saved Šonka’s win and opened the door for the rest. McLeod’s finish was only a breathtaking 0.113 behind Šonka’s, while Hall’s third place was his first podium of the season.

The results were pivotal for Šonka, who earned his career-first race win and the top of the overall leaderboard at the season opener in Abu Dhabi, only to subsequently slip. He’s been locked in a title battle with the likes of Chambliss, McLeod and Japan’s Yoshihide Muroya all season. Now with only races in Germany and the USA remaining, the Czech ace (54 points) is four points ahead of the consistent McLeod (50), who jumped to second overall. Chambliss is well within striking distance at 47 points, and so is Muroya with 44. With just a 10-point gap among those four contenders – and 15 points available for a race win – tension is mounting fast.

“It was unfortunate, we were trying to go fast,” said a disappointed Chambliss. “Everybody is right on the edge, and sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you. The bear got us today.”

It was also tough race for Michael Goulian of Massachusetts, for whom a 10th-place finish was especially disappointing after sharing a podium with Chambliss at the previous stop in Kazan, Russia. The upcoming race at Germany’s Lausitzring will give both pilots an opportunity to make progress in a speedway setting before they finish the season at home in one of the most famed motorsport ovals of all: Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Red Bull Air Race makes its speedway shift in just two weeks, with a return to the Lausitzring on 16-17 September 2017. It’s also the home race of reigning World Champion Matthias Dolderer, who will be looking for a comeback after finishing eighth in Porto.

Just two more races until the World Champion is crowned! Tickets for the final Red Bull Air Race stops of 2017 are on sale now. For more information on tickets and all the latest, visit www.redbullairrace.com

Results Master Class Porto 2017:
1. Martin Šonka (CZE), 2. Pete McLeod (CAN), 3. Matt Hall (AUS), 4. Kirby Chambliss (USA), 5. Mikaël Brageot (FRA), 6. Yoshihide Muroya (JPN), 7. Petr Kopfstein (CZE), 8. Matthias Dolderer (GER), 9. Peter Podlunšek (SLO), 10. Michael Goulian (USA), 11. Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA), 12. Cristian Bolton (CHI), 13. François Le Vot (FRA), 14. Juan Velarde (ESP)

World Championship standings after six of eight races: 1. Martin Šonka (CZE) 54 points, 2. Pete McLeod (CAN) 50 pts, 3. Kirby Chambliss (USA) 47 pts,  4. Yoshihide Muroya (JPN) 44 pts, 5. Petr Kopfstein (CZE) 34 pts, 6. Matthias Dolderer (GER)  27 pts, 7. Matt Hall (AUS) 25 pts, 8. Michael Goulian (USA) 24 pts, 9. Juan Velarde (ESP) 21 pts, 10. Mikaël Brageot (FRA) 15 pts, 11. Peter Podlunšek (SLO) 14 pts, 12. Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA) 14 pts, 13. François Le Vot (FRA) 8 pts, 14.   Cristian Bolton (CHI) 7 pts