A safer Red Bull Air Race returns to Abu Dhabi

The Red Bull Air Race returns to Abu Dhabi after a three-year hiatus, coming back safer and with more parity in competition.

Days before the return of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship to Abu Dhabi after a three-year hiatus, the master class pilots touch down at the race airport in Mina Zayed, Courtesy Red Bull

ABU DHABI // The Red Bull Air Race returns to Abu Dhabi for the first time since 2010, coming back safer and with more parity in competition.

Management and safety concerns at past races led organisers to make changes and set more regulations, said Erich Wolf, chief executive of the race.

“We reorganised everything, mainly in regards to the safety,” said Mr Wolf, speaking on Wednesday at a press conference in advance of the weekend event.

New regulations apply to modifications on engines. The pylon markers have been raised from 20 metres in height to 25 metres and the flight window from 10 metres to 15 metres.

Mr Wolf said a trend of “certain incidents” had led to the changes being made, although he did not discuss specifics.

"I think it'll mean we'll have a much more exciting race," said Paul Bonhomme, one of the 12 master-class pilots competing.

Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA) collaborated with Red Bull to organise the season-opening race in the capital, the first of eight race stops.

“This sport brings a lot of adventure and a new dimension to the city,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, director of events at TCA.

The race is divided into qualifying day and race day.

Twelve master pilots compete in a qualifying round on Friday to determine their starting positions, counting the fastest of two laps.

The contenders will be narrowed down to the fastest eight on Saturday, then four pilots will compete in the final round.

Another new element to this year’s race is the Challenger Cup, in which eight new pilots from seven countries race to gain experience and hone their low-altitude flying skills.

The master pilots range in age from 30 to 57 and come from the Czech Republic, the UK, the US, Germany, Austria, France, Japan, Canada, Hungary and Australia.

Mr Bonhomme said he arrived in the UAE on February 17. The pilots trained on a similar track for four days in Ras Al Khaimah before coming to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

The pilots will find out each other’s times on Thursday and get a better idea of the competition.

He said pre-race nerves help him to be careful during the race.

“It’s quite healthy to be nervous,” he said.

The Red Bull Air Race started in 2003 and was first held in Abu Dhabi in 2005. Mr Al Sheikh said it is scheduled to be held annually in Abu Dhabi for the next three years.