The past few days have been a struggle for all members of Team Chambliss as we work to sort out our position in the Red Bull Air Race. The plan going into this season was to have a new engine but unfortunately approval paperwork held up that process so we’re still running last year’s engine. The new one is ready to go and as long as all documents are signed off on, it will be installed just prior to the Perth race.
Knowing that our plane is virtually the same as last year puts some challenges on the team when you begin to look around at the significant modifications other teams have made during the off season. Hannes Arch invested in the latest technology coming out of Guthrie, Oklahoma with the Zivko Edge 540 V3. Nigel Lamb is sparking much interest adding a very large set of “winglets” to his plane, much like what you would see on an international cruiser. Nicolas Ivanhoff has undergone the most drastic set of changes, streamlining his plane with a new cowling, turtle deck and canopy. The competition here at the Red Bull Air Race is closer than ever before and it’s literally anyone’s game.
Our first few training days proved less than favorable as we pulled in times placing us below the top 6. It’s difficult to judge the race based on this though, these are training flights for a reason as pilot’s test out new lines and get a feel for the track. After over G’ing on the first day we’ve been taking it more conservative but after seeing our times, that’s just not going to work. The only way to win is to barely make each gate and push the limits to the near max and that’s exactly what we’re going to have to do.
What’s been going on with Team Chambliss?
Today is the start of a new day and it’s time to put all training runs behind us. The team has sat down together and analyzed the runs from previous days and we’re confident going into qualifying that our plane with be a competitor for the win. Stay tuned here for the latest updates on our performance and placement as we fight for the title here in Abu Dhabi. SMOKE ON!
