Bonhomme Wins Red Bull World Championship Air Race

On a gorgeous day in Barcelona with temperatures around 25 degrees, Britain’s Nigel Lamb got the first podium of an otherwise disappointing season with second place after a brilliant performance in the final on the 6.4-km long track through a challenging 15-Air Gate obstacle course set up just metres above the surface of the Mediterranean.German rookie Matthias Dolderer treated the largest crowd of the season packed along the Front Maritim beaches to some fancy flying to take third place, his first podium.

“Fantastic, thank you Barcelona,” Bonhomme said after letting out a loud shout for joy when he heard the news he had won the title on his cockpit radio. He had watched his four-point lead melt to three on Saturday when Arch won the 1 point for fastest Qualifying time. “I'm very happy. It's been a lot of hard work but we got there in the end. It's been a huge amount of pressure. It's just a question of how you deal with it at the right time. I thought I'd better get my skates on and that worked.”

Bonhomme was the epitome of consistency with three victories and three second places even though his Edge 540 plane was not as fast as Arch’s for most of the season. Arch had outclassed Bonhomme in the Qualifying sessions this year, winning the 1 point three times compared to just once for Bonhomme. The two were the protagonists of the most riveting championship battle in the five-year history of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship.