“More exciting than ever”

The Red Bull Air Race World Series is gearing up for its sixth round on September 2. Paul Bonhomme, runner-up in the last two races in Istanbul and Budapest, will be competing in front of an English home crowd in Longleat. In this interview, the man with the dry sense of humor talks about his longing for quiet moments in the woods, relaxed walks and why he prefers not to stand in the sun.

Hungarian Peter Besenyei was third in Budapest in 2004, fourth in 2005, and disqualified in 2006. Coming up to Longleat, are you worried that the so-called home advantage may not necessarily be an advantage at all?

There’s always enormous pressure on the local pilot, but I’m lucky not to be the only Briton in the field. I hope I’ll be able to share the pressure of the home advantage with Nigel Lamb and Steve Jones.

What will you do differently from Peter Besenyei in Budapest?

I’ll wear camouflage and spend the night in a small green tent somewhere deep in the woods.

The countryside around Longleat is perfect for that.

It certainly is. I think that Longleat is the most beautiful setting of all the Red Bull Air Race tracks. The rolling green hills, the trees – and naturally the gorgeous Longleat House: it’s just a wonderful place to fly.

Does the landscape you’re flying over make a difference to you as a pilot?

It’s a bit easier to fly over land than over water, as we did in Budapest. Your depth perception is better. There aren’t very many reference points on water to help you establish your altitude. But Longleat is also different from other land courses: the many hills don’t necessarily make it any easier to fly fast and flat above the ground.

How will you prepare yourself for the track at Longleat? Will you take a relaxed walk over the rolling hills?

No, that wouldn’t be much help. One gets to know each course in three steps: first you look at the map and memorize the details of the landscape. Then you fly over it all once, to see the whole course from the air. That gives you a feeling for the curves, and where to set up your maneuvers. And then you go back to the map and take your time to find the fastest route through the obstacles.

In the first three races you made one solitary point; in the last two you collected a total of ten, with two second places. Is that only because you’re flying an Edge 540 now, just like Kirby Chambliss, Mike Mangold and Peter Besenyei?

This aircraft is just perfect for the Red Bull Air Race. It’s no longer the case that Mike, Peter and Kirby decide who wins, leaving the others to fight for fourth place. If one discounts the time penalties, the first seven in Budapest were all inside two seconds.

That is: a result like Budapest – Steve Jones in front of Paul Bonhomme and Mike Mangold – is neither coincidence nor unique?

I think that from now on it won’t be possible to predict the results any more. Whoever has the best day and copes best with the conditions on the course, wins. The Red Bull Air Race is more exciting than ever.

Were you satisfied with your second place in Budapest?

Yes, but something else mattered a lot more to me than the result: in Istanbul I was in the lead after the first run, but two seconds slower in the second. In Budapest I was very satisfied with my consistency; I was even a bit faster in the second run. That’s something I can build on for the next contests.

How do you spend the time between the two runs?

I stand out in the sun and wait.

That sounds relaxing.

Not really. While I’m standing out in the sun, I’m talking with fans and journalists. It would be better if I could lie down somewhere, close my eyes and fly round the track in my mind.

So you really do need a little green tent deep in the woods?

Of course it’s good for the sport if people are interested and I’m also pleased that they’re interested in me personally. But it would really be much more restful deep, very deep in the woods...