US competitor Mike Mangold beat British Paul Bonhomme in the sixth leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series 2007 which came to London for the first time, 29 July.
Mangold, flying for team Cobra in a Zivko Edge 540, won the race in 1:25.82 minutes and said he had stripped paint from his aircraft to reduce its weight. He beat Bonhomme by one point but Bonhomme still leads in the overall race.
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Left to right: Paul Bonhomme in second place, Mike Mangold, winner and Peter Besenyei |
Paul Bonhomme, who pilots Boeing 747s in and out of London Heathrow, flying for team Matador, lost out by one minute, The pilots guided their aircraft through the slalom metres above the River Thames reaching speeds of up to 250mph.
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The pilots performed tight turns around inflatable "air gates" on the River Thames in London |
In third place came Hungarian Peter Besenyei for team Red Bull. He said that he would consider changing his choice of aircraft, the Edge 540 in favour of one much lighter to improve his chances.
The air race continues in Budapest, then onto Porto, San Diego and Perth in Australia.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
