Bonhomme Loves New York

June 21, 2010 – New York — Paul Bonhomme of Britain won the first-ever Red Bull Air Race in New York on Sunday, while Britain’s Nigel Lamb took second place and American Kirby Chambliss captured his second straight podium with third place. “I couldn't be happier, well maybe just a little bit if I had won,” Chambliss said. “As an American I'm very, very proud. Thank you New York; it's been great. I tried to fly clean today but I have to personally thank Hannes (Arch) for hitting that gate…” Arch, of Austria, saw his three-race winning streak shattered when he hit a pylon in the final 4, ending any hope of a podium finish. Bonhomme stopped the clock at 1:10.01, the day's fastest time on the 5.5-km track of 13 Air Gates set up on the Hudson River between the Statue of Liberty and New York's skyline. That was a full 2.05 seconds faster than Lamb and 2.08 seconds faster than Chambliss. Arch was 5.34 seconds back, hurt by the six-second penalty for hitting the pylon. It was Bonhomme’s 12th straight podium — a record — and he now leads the championship with 53 points while Arch is second overall with 48 points and Lamb is third with 47. “It's very good — and what a setting,” Bonhomme said. “I can appreciate the view now that I’ve finished racing. Great day. I concentrated on me, my airplane and the track. And now I think we can celebrate a bit.” Arch was gracious in defeat and said he pulled out the stops to try to beat Bonhomme and get what would have been a record fourth straight victory. But he just barely clipped the inflatable Air Gate with his wing. “It was a good run,” said Arch, the 2008 champion. “It was just a couple of centimeters that made the difference. I would rather lose here like that in style, going for it, than completely screw it up.”

Paul Bonhomme of Great Britain celebrates his first place after the Red Bull Air Race New York Race Day on June 20. Photo: Nick Laham / Getty Images for Red Bull Air Race Paul Bonhomme’s time of 1:10.01 was good enough for first place in the first-ever New York Red Bull race. Photo: Mark Thompson / Getty Images for Red Bull Air Race

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