In less than a week, pilots will take to the skies at one of the most iconic stops of the 2015 Red Bull Air Race season! Held on the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary, the racecourse resides in front of the parliament building at the country’s capital.
Air Race Budapest is also home to one of the most memorable grand entrances, with each pilot passing under the historic Chain Bridge prior to reaching the start gate! While the height of the river does change, there is usually about 20-30 feet of clearance between the water and the base of the bridge. With Kirby’s Edge 540 V3 standing at a height of 9 feet tall (when in straight and level flight), his margin of error is only 10-20 feet.
Being one of two stops in the original Red Bull Air Race back in 2003, Budapest has remained a stop seven of the nine previous seasons (the only other location to appear this many times is Abu Dhabi, UAE). After a six-year hiatus from hosting the race, Kirby and the team are excited to return to Budapest! And why wouldn’t they be; the team has had a great deal of success at this location in previous seasons, making the podium five out of seven times! Placements as follows:
- 2003: 3rd
- 2004: 1st
- 2005: 2nd
- 2007: 2nd
- 2009: 3rd
After flying some very competitive times during training in Rovinj, Kirby is enthusiastic about the upcoming race. He and the team are looking to take home a trophy this Independence Day weekend, July 4th and 5th!
Stay up-to-date on the behind-the-scenes action by reading our Daily Diary entries and following our social media channels for live updates throughout the week!
