Air Racing
A Brief History of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship Since 2003
Learn all about the fastest sport in the skies right here with our in-depth year-by-year history of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, including the million-spectator Rio event.
Since it was officially launched in 2003, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship has become globally renowned as the one of the most exhilarating motorsport series on the planet.
The specially designed aerial racetracks are the result of extensive research and a combination of high speed, low altitude and extreme manoeuvrability makes the sport accessible only to the world's most exceptional pilots.
Get up to speed with the year-by-year history of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship right here.
Legendary pilot Péter Besenyei
© balazsgardi.com/Red Bull Content Pool
2003
The Red Bull Air Race had its inaugural season as a World Series in 2003. Being a visual spectacle unlike any other, it quickly garnered the interest of fans and pilots alike. Péter Besenyei of Hungary, one of the masterminds behind its inception, was the first victor.
Kirby Chambliss
© Armin Walcher / Red Bull Content Pool
2004
A total of 11 pilots came into the mix for 2004. After a tense three-race season spanning the USA, UK and Hungary, it was American Kirby Chambliss who emerged victorious, followed by Besenyei in second, with Brit Steve Jones and Klaus Schrodt of Germany in joint third.
2005
Ten pilots competed in seven full-throttle races around the world, with stops in the UK, the USA and Europe. American Mike Mangold was the dominant force, winning five of the seven races. He won 36 World Championship points while Besenyei took second with 32 points and Chambliss was third with 21 points.
2006
Chambliss was in a class of his own in 2006, winning four of the eight races stages. He won 38 World Championship points on his way to the title, while Besenyei once again came second with 35 points and Mangold third with 30 points.
Paul Bonhomme in Abu Dhabi
© Sebastian Marko/Red Bull Content Pool
2007
Red Bull Air Race rocks Rio
© Balazs Gardi
Fly by
© Balazs Gardi
Racing in Rio
© Joerg Mitter
Rio skyline
© Joerg Mitter
The Red Bull Air Race World Championship was expanded to ten races with 13 pilots in 2007, including the first-ever stop in South America (in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The championship was a thrilling tussle between Mangold and Great Britain's Paul Bonhomme. They both ended up even with 47 points but in the end Mangold clinched the championship after a tie-breaker. Besenyei was third with 31 points.
Hannes Arch hopes to master the Red Bull Ring
© Sebastian Marko/Red Bull Content Pool
2008
Austria's Hannes Arch, in only his second season, became the first European to win the World Championship in 2008. Arch won only two races – Budapest and Porto – but stood on the podium in seven of the eight races to finish with 61 points ahead of Bonhomme's 54. Chambliss claimed third place with 46 points.
2009
In 2009, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship added four newcomers making a total of 15 pilots, including the first Asian, the first Canadian and the first Australian — Yoshi Muroya, Pete McLeod and Matt Hall respectively. Also new was Matthias Dolderer of Germany. Arch took an early lead and held his position until the fourth race when Bonhomme moved ahead and claimed three wins overall leading him to win his elusive first title.
2010
In 2010, Bonhomme matched Mangold's record by becoming the second pilot to claim two titles. He finished each of the six races in the top three (two of which were victories). Arch came a close second having won four of the six races but lost out to Bonhomme due to an 11th place finish in the first stage of the season in Abu Dhabi. Britain's other pro pilot, Nigel Lamb, came third.
2014
The Red Bull Air Race World Championship returned better than ever in 2014 after a three-year hiatus. Lamb reigned supreme in a season that saw the introduction of standardised engines and propellers, as well as improvements to the rules and regulations, meaning there was an even greater emphasis on pilot skill than ever before. The Challenger Cup also made its debut, enabling up-and-coming pilots like François Le Vot and Juan Velarde to hone their skills.
2015
The 2015 season came to a spectacular close once again in Las Vegas, with Bonhomme ultimately claiming a record third World Championship title as he retired from the sport along with Peter Besenyei. Mikael Brageot claimed the Challenger Cup title as a host of new pilots made their debuts.
2016
Dolderer became the first German pilot to be crowned world champion in 2016, as well as the first pilot to win the title with a race to spare. Florian Bergér took the Challenger Cup during a momentous season which saw the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway make its Red Bull Air Race debut. The final race of the season also saw Lamb retire from the sport.
2017
The 2017 season was one of the most exhilarating the sport has seen. Martin Šonka had been promising to take his first win for a while and outclassed the opposition at the season opener in Abu Dhabi. But he wasn't to have it all his own way.
Muroya hit back with two consecutive wins in San Diego and then at his home race in Chiba. Sonka won at race six in Porto and then Muroya won at the Lausitzring, in Germany, meaning the race was going to go down to the final round of the season. Indianapolis set the scene for the season finale and the round of 14 saw the title chasers Sonka and Muroya go head to head. Muroya won and when Sonka hit a pylon it looked like his title chase was over. However, difficult weather conditions saw other pilots falter and Sonka progressed to the round of eight as the fastest loser. Both pilots made it through to the final four and Muroya clinched the title when he set the track record in his final run.
2018
The 2018 World Championship was one of the tightest seasons in the sport's history. Going into the final race, three pilots had a chance to clinch the title. Michael Goulian was leading, with Šonka second and Matt Hall in third, just seven points separating them. Goulian was knocked out by Šonka in the round of eight, leaving just two pilots. Hall set a blistering time in the final four with just Šonka left to fly, meaning the World Championship was going to come down to the final run of the last race. Šonka clinched the title by beating Hall's time by just 0.304s.