Industry News
Red Bull Air Race Returns to Rotterdam
By source: Red Bull Air Race
Jul 9, 2008, 11:33

After spectacular races in the United Arab Emirates and the USA, the Red Bull Air Race crosses the ocean again for the first European stop of the season in Rotterdam on 19th and 20th July.

The fourth race of the 2008 World Series marks a much anticipated return to the magnificent Dutch port city where, in 2005, 700,000 spectators crowded the shores of the River Maas to watch American Mike Mangold win the race. After his emphatic victory in Rotterdam, Mangold went on to win four of the next five races in a winning streak that clinched him the 2005 championship title. This season has not faired as well for the 2007 defending champion who currently stands in 3rd place after American Kirby Chambliss and Britain’s Paul Bonhomme, the leader.

He will be hoping for a repeat of 2005 in order to turn this season around. "I’m looking forward to going back to Europe," said Mangold, who rallied during the European leg last season with three wins in five races to knock Bonhomme off the top of the table. "My motivation is to win a race. I’ve got to make the plane faster and beat Bonhomme."


The port of Rotterdam is the largest in Europe and one of the world’s busiest. It will make way for the world’s most talented pilots in what is expected to be a highlight in Rotterdam’s summer events calendar. The Mayor of Rotterdam, Ivo Opstelten, expressed his enthusiasm for the race, saying: “I am very pleased that Rotterdam has been given the honour of hosting the spectacular Red Bull Air Race for the second time. It is a unique event that fits well with a city that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.”

The race track will be positioned along the River Maas right in front of the Erasmus Bridge, the dramatic cable bridge which is one of Rotterdam’s most well-known landmarks. The narrow width of the river means that the layout of the Rotterdam race track will be different from previous races. It will be straight and fast with no wide turns and lots of high G forces. On such a track keeping the momentum will prove crucial in order to achieve a fast run time.

Tickets for the Qualifying and Race Day are available at www.redbullairrace.com. Qualifying takes place on Saturday, 19th July followed by Race Day on Sunday, 20th July.

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