Today was the first, and only, day of training in the track. Prior to arriving, we expected this course to be a straighter, less technical track than some of the others we see. But training rounds proved it is much more technical than initially anticipated, especially with the modified chicane. Rather than weaving through a series of three pylons set up in a line, the middle pylon has been offset which requires pilots to make an “S” turn through this section. This modification was intended to decrease speed in the course and, in turn, decrease the chances of an over-G situation.
During the first training round, we saw quite a few pylon hits and safety climb-outs as the pilots got a feel for the track. By training two, everyone was looking much more confident! Kirby finished at the top of the leader board with a time of 57.362 seconds. When asked what is making the difference this season, Paulo responded, “We have a great pilot! Of course we are always working to make the plane faster, but we’ve really focused on making a distinct separation in Kirby’s flying styles. Air shows require quick, aggressive maneuvers, where the air races need to be smooth. He’s been doing a great job with this and it is showing!”
“Paulo always tells me, ‘You can’t make the plane go any faster when you fly it. You can only make it go slower.’ I’ve been more consistent this year than I have the previous two seasons which is definitely working in our favor. While I’m happy to have finished first in training, I am not going to focus on that as the weekend goes on. Gate two was down during training for technical issues. Without a definitive location, each pilot may have taken that angle a little different which could have had a small effect on times. We need to keep pushing the limits, lay down a good time in qualifying, and be consistent in each round on race day. As our team always says, the race isn’t until Sunday!”
