Bonhomme becomes 2010 Red Bull champion

Lausitz, Germany – August 8, 2010 — Britain's Paul Bonhomme took second place in the final race of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship on Sunday. But the finish was good enough to give him the 2010 world title. Bonhomme, who also won the 2009 championship, finished the six-race season with 64 points and two victories, in Abu Dhabi and New York. Hannes Arch, the 2008 champion, ended the year with 60 points and four wins, in Perth, Rio, Windsor and Germany. Britain's Nigel Lamb ended up third overall with 55 points. Australia’s Matt Hall got the third podium of his career with a third place at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz race, while Germany’s Matthias Dolderer finished seventh to the delight of the big home crowd. About 118,000 spectators watched the racing. “It’s very special,” Bonhomme said, who let out a loud cheer over his cockpit radio after he clinched the title. Bonhomme, the most successful pilot in the history of the sport with 13 career victories, admitted he was disappointed that he failed to beat Arch in the season finale even though he did get a record 13th straight podium with second place. “It feels good,” Bonhomme said. “The key thing is that we won back-to-back championships, that’s what I’m going to be taking away. The day didn’t go exactly as I planned, but I’m very pleased about the whole year.” Bonhomme is the first pilot to win back-to-back titles and joins American Mike Mangold as the only two-time champion in the eight-year race history. Arch, who now has seven career wins, pushed Bonhomme to the limits all season. Bonhomme had posted faster times than Arch all weekend and had won the Qualifying point earlier on Sunday. But Arch pulled out all the stops in the Final Four, posting a time —1:12.30 —that Bonhomme could not match. Bonhomme completed the course in 1:12.66. “I knew I could win the race because the plane is fast and it’s a fast track,” Arch said. “We might not have won the championship, but we have four races and have lots of track records this year. We’re happy about that; it’s a good feeling.” This was the last Red Bull race for at least a year, after race officials announced earlier this month they would take a one-year hiatus to improve safety and strengthen host-city partnerships.

Paul Bonhomme of Great Britain celebrates winning the Red Bull Air Race World Championship at the Eurospeedway, Lausitz on August 8, 2010 in Germany. Hannes Arch of Austria took second and Nigel Lamb of Great Britain third. Hamish Blair / Getty Images for Red Bull Air Race Matthias Dolderer of Germany in action during Race Day. Photo credit: Mark Hewitt/Getty Images for Red Bull Air Race Hannes Arch of Austria in action during Round 6 of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship at the EuroSpeedway, Lausitz on August 8, 2010 in Germany. Photo credit: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images for Red Bull Air Race

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