It was a fantastic day in Spielberg for Team Chambliss! Kirby made the podium and the team couldn’t be happier!
In the round of 14, Kirby was set to fly first against hometown favorite Hannes Arch. Kirby’s goal was to fly clean, fly fast, and lay down a time that would put pressure on Arch. Finishing with a time of 58.876 seconds, it was a bit slower than the times he set in practice, but the weather was much breezier than before; would it be enough? Jason and Kayla watched anxiously as they waited for Arch to enter the track. Within seconds, it was confirmed that Kirby would go through to the round of eight as Arch clipped the start gate and proceeded to climb out of the track uncompleted.
“[The wind] basically blew me into the gate. From my calculations earlier I knew I wouldn’t be able to win, so I climbed out,” states Arch in response to the outcome of his flight.
Kirby took this advantage and pressed through to the Round of 8, where he faced Canada’s Pete McLeod. Keeping his line clean and consistent, Kirby beat McLeod by 0.654 seconds, with a final time of 58.258. This moved him to the final four for the first time this season.
Kirby took third in the Final Four with a time of 58.291, a close fight between him and Martin Sonka of Czech Republic who finished just behind Kirby. Matt Hall of Australia took his first career win at the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in an upset against Great Britain’s Paul Bonhomme, placing second.
This is an exciting time for the team. Our return to the podium has been a long time coming, and we are looking to carry this momentum into Kirby’s home town race in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas on September 26-27.
