SANTA MONICA, CA, Jun 01 (MARKET WIRE) --
Crowds topping 750,000 witnessed American pilot Kirby Chambliss battle for
first
place during the 2008 Red Bull Air Race World Series in Detroit. Chambliss'
winning time of 1:12.08 was mere fractions of a second ahead of Series points
leader Paul Bonhomme at 1:12.23. Austrian Pilot Hannes Arch placed third
with a time of 1:12.73. Fans waited intensely as announcers confirmed that
Chambliss was the winner resulting in a celebratory uproar.
Brand new Red Bull Air Race fans gathered along both banks of the Detroit
River
shattering North American attendance records at previous stops of the
worldwide motorsport. Spectators rushed to witness 12 of the world's best
pilots introduce the Midwest to a new dimension in motorsport. Cheers roared as
it was announced that an American was taking home the first-place title, and
enthusiastic spectators proudly sang the American National Anthem in unison as
Chambliss accepted his first-place trophy at the awards ceremony.
"I knew I had to fly really fast today because we weren't able to race
yesterday. I went out and just flew as hard as I could," stated
Chambliss."Winning is always great, but is makes it more special to win on U.S.
soil."
MASSES SWARM TO THE MOTOR CITY
Detroit marked the first time the race occurred between two countries making
world
history for the Series and for the cities of Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
Although the Series visited Deroit at the same time as two major of its
major
sport teams were battling for championship titles, Detroiters came out in
droves to the newly revitalized Riverfront for the race. Even though gusty
winds prohibited enthusiasts from seeing the race on Saturday, fans formed lines
as
early as 8:00 a.m. to grab a front row seat on Sunday.
"This put Detroit on the international stage," said Matt Koenig, a college
student from Kentucky who came to watch one of his favorite televised sports in
person. "Red Bull Air Race gave this city wings."
Pilots were under additional pressure as winds caused Saturday's qualifier
to be
canceled, forcing the two-day competition to be combined into one day and
eliminating a qualifying round. However, that didn't stop fans who traveled
from around the Midwest to see the third stop of the Red Bull Air Race World
Series.
"ALL ABOARD!" THE NEXT TEMPORARY LANDING IN SWEDEN
The Detroit race followed the first U.S. stop of the 2008 Series in San
Diego
on May 3 and 4, where it returned for a second year with 120,000 spectators. It
will be viewed globally by more than 400 million people later this year. After
today's race, Mike Mangold, Kirby Chambliss and Hannes Arch are tied for
Series' second place points standings (21 points). In the Red Bull Air Race, the
world's best pilots race at speeds reaching 230 mph, enduring forces of up to 10
Gs as they navigate a low-level, aerial race track made of air-filled pylons.
In the United States, each race will be broadcast on Sunday evenings on
FoxSports Network starting in July. The Detroit race will air on July 27 and
again on October 5. Previous U.S. cities have included San Francisco, Monument
Valley and San Diego. The Series also returns to London, Budapest, Porto, and
Perth, which all held races in 2007.
For further information, please register at the new Red Bull Air Race
Newsroom
which can be accessed via the 'Press' link on www.redbullairrace.com.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=770541
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=770538
Press Information:
Maddy Stephens
Red Bull Communications
210.414.1904
Maddy.Stephens@us.redbull.com
Copyright 2008, Market Wire, All rights reserved.
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