Brits take Red Bull Air Race top two on windy Ascot racecourse

Was it the winds of change sweeping across the course in Ascot, England over the weekend? With Austria’s Hannes Arch threatening to run away with the title coming into the UK race, two British pilots reveled in front of the home crowd to heat up the Championship race.

Heading into the race in Ascot, England, the target on Hannes Arch’s back couldn’t have been bigger: He led by thirteen points, and another strong podium finish would have been a big step toward locking up this season’s Red Bull Air Race title.

A determined effort by British pilots Paul Bonhomme and Nigel Lamb, however,has tightened up the championship with three races to go. Bonhomme’s first place finish cut Arch’s lead down to a mere two points. Lamb, finishing second, now trails Bonhomme by six points and Arch by eight. France’s Nicolas Ivanoff finished third for his first podium since 2009.

Watch highlights from the race in Ascot

While Bonhomme has certainly made things interesting in the title race, his win was far from secure up until the very last round in Ascot.

"I wouldn't have backed me for the win!” said Bonhomme after a shaky performance in qualifying and a Round of 12 that barely saw him advance.

"I think this has to be the greatest escape yet – it's a great win.” (Paul Bonhomme)

Arch struggled in the windy conditions that saw gusts of up to 30 knots, finishing eighth for a single point.

The blustery day didn’t dull Bonhomme’s persistence, however, and he looked right at home in front of a crowd of 29,000 British racing fans.

Comments from the Ascot top-three

“The British crowd just love aviation and they love racing," Bonhomme said.

Fellow Brit Nigel Lamb shared Bonhomme’s feelings about the Ascot race, the first on British soil in six years.

"I think Ascot is amazing and hope the Red Bull Air Race endures here.” (Nigel Lamb)

The racecourse in Ascot featured the series’ first standing-start take off. Trees, shrubs, and ponds added to the landscape of Air Gates in Ascot that the pilots navigated on the course to the excitement of the crowd.

Red Bull Air Race heads stateside for the next race in 2014: the Dallas-Fort Worth race at the Texas Motor Speedway will be held from September 6-7. Now that Bonhomme has opened up the title race, fans in the Lone Star State are sure to see the pilots flying as close to the edge as possible. We’ll have all the latest here on DHL InMotion!