LOOP News

26 JUN 07: RED BULL DUEL

Besenyei v Bonhomme in spectacular wild west US race

PETER Besenyei edged past Britain's Paul Bonhomme in a sensational showdown in the US round of the Red Bull Air Race Series on 12 May.

Three weeks later, on the other side of the world in Istanbul, Turkey, Bonhomme was again in the final - this time against American Mike Mangold, winner of the 2005 Red Bull Championship.
Bonhomme still leads the Series going into the next round, due to be held at Interlaken, Switzerland on 15 July - but he's only one point ahead of Mangold.

The US race - the third of 11 events - was in Monument Valley, Utah with the spectacular red mesas and towering buttes of the Navajo Tribal Park as a stunning backdrop.

It was Besenyei's second victory of the season. He had a winning time of 59.87 seconds, beating Bonhomme by 0.97 seconds.

"I knew I would have to put in a major effort if I wanted to win and I did," said Besenyei. He also won the season opener at Abu Dhabi on 6 April but finished fifth on 21 April at Rio de Janeiro.
"I'm very happy. I was lucky today. I didn't make any big mistakes. If you make a mistake, you're out of the game."

Bonhomme, who remained calm enough to take a half-hour nap just before the race, was also pleased - it was his third straight podium finish after taking first at Rio and third at Abu Dhabi.

"I'm pleased with the season," he said. "But it's going to be hard to stay on top."
In the rarified desert altitude 5200 feet above sea level, Besenyei and Bonhomme put in the most consistent performances. They each had to get past a former American champion in the semi-finals - Besenyei beat 2006 title holder Kirby Chambliss and Bonhomme got past 2005 winner Mike Mangold.
Bonhomme's Team Matador team-mate Steve Jones escaped injury in the quarter-finals after crashing heavily into an Air Gate just a few feet above the ground, an incident that left his plane slightly damaged and forced him to retire.

More than one million spectators crowded the banks of Golden Horn estuary in Istanbul, Turkey to watch Mike Mangold (USA) beat Paul Bonhomme (GBR) in the fourth Red Bull Air Race World Series event of the season on Saturday 2 June.

In a thrilling quarter-final showdown, Peter Besenyei (HUN), the winner of the last Red Bull Air Race in Monument Valley, USA was nipped by Alejandro Maclean (ESP) by just 0.04 seconds.

*Monument Valley has served as a backdrop for many films including John Wayne's 1938 classic 'Stagecoach', Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey', Steven Spielberg's 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' and 'Thelma and Louise'.

W: www.redbullairrace.com

RESULTS

ROUND 3, MONUMENT VALLEY USA
12 May

1 Peter Besenyei
2 Paul Bonhomme
3 Mike Mangold
4 Kirby Chambliss
5 Alejandro Maclean
6 Frank Versteegh
7 Steve Jones
8 Nigel Lamb
9 Sergey Rakhmanin
10 Hannes Arch
11 Michael Goulian
12 Nicolas Ivanoff
13 Klaus Schrodt

ROUND 4, ISTANBUL, TURKEY
1 June

1 Mike Mangold
2 Paul Bonhomme
3 Kirby Chambliss
4 Alejandro Maclean
5 Paul Besenyei
6 Frank Versteegh
7 Michael Goulian
8 Nigel Lamb
9 Klaus Schrodt
10 Sergey Rakhmanin
11 Hannes Arch
12 Steve Jones
13 Nicolas Ivanoff

SERIES POSITIONS
Pos Name                        Team               Nat           Aircraft          Points
1        Paul Bonhomme       Matador           GBR       Edge 540         20
2        Mike Mangold            Cobra               USA       Edge 540         19
3        Peter Besenyei          Red Bull            HUN    Edge 540         16
4        Kirby Chambliss        Red Bull          USA    Edge 540         11
5        Alejandro Maclean     MRT               ESP     Edge 540          10
6        Hannes Arch             Cobra                AUT     Edge 540       3
7    Frank Versteegh        Lobo                 NED    Edge 540       3
8      Steve Jones            Matador          GBR    Edge 540       2
9      Nigel Lamb                Breitling            GBR    MX2               0
10      Michael Goulian        Dragon Racing    USA     Edge 540    0
11     Sergey Rakhmanin    Dragon Racing    RUS    Edge 540       0
12     Klaus Schrodt           Lobo                  GER     Extra 300S      0
13     Nicolas Ivanoff          MRT                FRA    Cap 232        0

NEXT RACE: 15 July Interlaken, Switzerland

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26 JUN 07: RED BULL DUEL