American Kirby Chambliss Crowned Fastest Race Pilot in Border BattleRed Bull Air Race World Series Dazzles Crowds Simultaneously in USA &Canada
Crowds topping 750,000 witnessed American pilot Kirby Chambliss battle for first place during the 2008 RedBull Air Race World Series in Detroit. Chambliss’ winning time of 1:12.08 was mere fractions of a second behind Series points leader Paul Bonhomme at 1:12.23.
Austrian Pilot Hannes Arch placed third with a time of 1:12.73. Fans waited intensely as announcers confirmed that Chambliss was the winner resulting in a celebratory uproar.
Brand new Red Bull Air Race fans gathered along both banks of the Detroit River shattering North American attendance records at previous stops of the worldwide motorsport.
Spectators rushed to witness 12 of the world’s bestpilots introduce the Midwest to a new dimension in motorsport. Cheers roared as it was announced that an American was taking home the first-place title, and enthusiastic spectators proudly sang the American National Anthem in unison as Chambliss accepted his first-place trophy at the awardsceremony.
“I knew I had to fly really fast today because we weren’t able to race yesterday. I went out and just flew as hard as I could,” stated Chambliss.“Winning is always great, but is makes it more special to win on U.S.soil.
”MASSES SWARM TO THE MOTOR CITY
Detroit marked the first time the race occurred between two countries making world history for the Series and for the cities of Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
Although the Series visited Deroit at the same time as two major of its major sport teams were battling for championship titles, Detroiters came out in droves to the newly revitalized Riverfront for the race. Even though gusty winds prohibited enthusiasts from seeing the race on Saturday,fans formed lines as early as 8:00 a.m. to grab a front row seat on Sunday.
“This put Detroit on the international stage,” said Matt Koenig, a college student from Kentucky who came to watch one of his favorite televised sports in person. “Red Bull Air Race gave this city wings.”
Pilots were under additional pressure as winds caused Saturday’s qualifier to be canceled, forcing the two-day competition to be combined into one dayand eliminating a qualifying round. However, that didn’t stop fans who traveled from around the Midwest to see the third stop of the Red Bull AirRace World Series.
“ALL ABOARD!” THE NEXT TEMPORARY LANDING IN SWEDEN
The Detroit race followed the first U.S. stop of the 2008 Series in SanDiego on May 3 and 4, where it returned for a second year with 120,000spectators. It will be viewed globally by more than 400 million people later this year. After today’s race, Mike Mangold, Kirby Chambliss andHannes Arch are tied for Series’ second place points standings (21 points).
In the Red Bull Air Race, the world’s best pilots race at speeds reaching230 mph, enduring forces of up to 10 Gs as they navigate a low-level,aerial race track made of air-filled pylons.
In the United States, each race will be broadcast on Sunday evenings on FoxSports Network starting in July. The Detroit race will air on July 27 and again on October 5.
Previous U.S. cities have included San Francisco, Monument Valley and San Diego.
The Series also returns to London,Budapest, Porto, and Perth, which all held races in 2007.