It would be hard for a Hollywood scriptwriter to come up with a more dramatic story than the 2009 Red Bull Air Race World Championship an eminently likeable British veteran who had come so tantalisingly close to winning the title for two straight years pulling out all the stops in the very last run of the very last race of the year in front of a record crowd of 800,000 to narrowly beat the dashing defending champion from Austria who was flying in a superior airplane.

But that is exactly what happened when Paul Bonhomme came through with a clutch performance in the final race of the season in Barcelona to de-throne defending champion Hannes Arch of Austria. Bonhomme, the most successful pilot in the five years of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship history with 11 career race victories, finally shed his reputation for finishing second in the championship by taking the title in Barcelona with a scintillating performance under pressure.

http://www.redbullairrace.com (less info)