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Red Bull Air Race pilot Hannes Arch, had the speed to win on Sunday and was just ahead of Ivanoff at the first interval. But then a pelican punctured a gaping hole in his horizontal stabiliser shortly before the midway point. Arch said he was startled by the bird hit and was then unable to properly level his wings through the next Air Gate. It was a costly two-second penalty that dropped him behind both Ivanoff and Bonhomme.
I was having a really good run and then I had a bird strike that distracted me, Arch said after inspecting the blood-covered hole on the right side of his planes tail. I was off line after that. The bird strike nearly tore off my horizontal stabiliser. It was bad luck but good luck that I was able to fly to the finish line.
This wasn't the first bird strike in the Red Bull Air Race history. In London 2008, Paul Bonhomme was unable to avoid a flock of about 200 seagulls and hit at least three of the birds, which caused some visible damage to his Edge 540. Bonhommes technician Wade Hammond was busy repairing the damage to the right wing and tail - 4 mm deep compressions to the carbon fibre skin as well as chipped paint.
More information on http://www.redbullairrace.com
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About: The Red Bull Air Race World Championship features the world's best pilots in a motorsports competition based on speed, precision and skill. Using the fastest, most agile and lightweight racing planes, Red Bull Air Race pilots navigate a low-level aerial race track made up of air filled pylons, flying at speeds reaching 230mph while withstanding forces of up to 10g. The objective is to complete the course, navigating the 65 feet high specially designed inflatable pylons known as Air Gates in the fastest possible time. Red Bull Air Race pilots must pass between the Air Gates in the correct position taking care not to touch them with their wings. The pilots compete for points at each Red Bull Air Race and the one who accumulates the most at the end of the season is crowned Red Bull Air Race World Champion.
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