Red Bull Air Race

In simple terms, the Red Bull Air Race is a race in the air, a combination of auto racing, aerobatics and alpine ski slalom. The best aerobatic pilots in the world can thereby determine in this thickly packed slalom course their most virtuoso, fastest, best pilot.

The Red Bull Air Race World Series is taking place for the first time in 2005, with nine pilots, seven races and two dominating presences. One is the American Mike Mangold; the other is Peter Besenyei. After six races, the slender Hungarian is the last remaining challenger of the athletic American, a former 'top gun' pilot.

The spectator count attests to the degree to which the heavenly duel of these two men fascinates the masses: 800,000 fans saw the Air Race live in Rotterdam; in Budapest it was a good 1.2 million. In view of Besenyei's immaculate career, it's rather untypical that the Hungarian national hero only took fourth place in his home race on the Hungarian national holiday. But it's surely one of those things he's capable of righting with his usual sovereignty in 2006.
Karoly Arvai