Red Bull Air Race goes down to the wire in Austria

At the final race of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, three pilots have a chance to take home the glory. Can Nigel Lamb keep his cool and fly away with the victory?

On paper, it seems so simple: if Britain’s Nigel Lamb places fourth or better this weekend at the final Red Bull Air Race event in Spielberg, Austria, he’ll win his first-ever World Championship. But he knows better than anyone that nothing in air racing is that easy.

"I'm ever conscious that the difference between being consistent and not is such a tiny margin. It's so easy to make a mistake whether it's a penalty or you're slack on a turn," Lamb said ahead of the race. “Hopefully I can manage to fly with rhythm and precision. If you get too tense, you lose that natural rhythm and style. All sorts of things start to creep in and you make small mistakes. If that mistake happens to be wings not level in a gate then you're at the back of the pack."

Home-town hero

With local hero Hannes Arch and fellow Brit Paul Bonhomme nipping at his heels in the standings, Lamb knows any mistake will be immediately seized upon by his two closest rivals. Arch trails Lamb by five points, and Bonhomme is just one point further adrift.

“Nigel’s got it all to lose, and Hannes is obviously there or thereabouts,” said Bonhomme. “We’re just going to enjoy the weekend, race fast, and see what unfolds.”

Arch faces additional pressure to perform in front of a home crowd in his native Austria, but his team tech Nigel Dickinson says the pilot is taking it all in stride. Dickinson added his team is hoping to rebound after the previous race in Las Vegas, which saw Arch take two penalties due to pylon hits.

"Nigel's always hard to beat and Paul is definitely not out of the running," Dickinson said. “We're pretty confident... I've done everything I can."

The season finale to the 2014 Red Bull Air Race season comes two weeks after a controversial race in Las Vegas. While turbulent conditions made actually flying the course a particular challenge for the pilots, it was high winds wreaking havoc with the inflatable race gates that led to the cancellation of the later stages of the race, giving Canada’s Pete McLeod his first race win.

Check out a preview of the Spielberg course!

Conditions in Austria are likely to be better, but the course is by no means a walk in the park. Backed by a stunning Alpine setting, the pilots face a course with a 65-meter elevation difference between the start/finish and the turning maneuver and the chicane. The area is heavily wooded as well, creating an additional navigational challenge on the course.

The race in Spielberg marks the exciting conclusion to one of the most competitive Red Bull Air Race seasons ever. Keep an eye on Red Bull Air Race October 25-26 for up-to-the-minute results, and be sure to check back to DHL InMotion to find out who ends up taking the title!