Time Out Abu Dhabi went for a pre-race whiz around the Red Bull Air Race runway this morning, catching up with world champ Hannes Arch, and exchanging a brief grunt with rookie Yoshiya Muroya.
The purpose of the press conference, which kicked off at a surprisingly punctual 11am, was to introduce the massed media to ‘Team Abu Dhabi’, a city-sponsored combination of mean machine and daredevil pilot. The brains behind the enterprise hope that an onsite crowd of 350,000, as well as a TV audience of 100 million, will see last year’s winner, Hannes Arch, at the top of the podium, draped in the colours of the home emirate.
As wonderful as that may sound, the race is by no means a foregone conclusion; it’s only two years since Arch was a rookie himself. Last year’s triumph may well have been luck.
The 42-year-old Austrian emerged from Team Abu Dhabi’s hanger amidst the kind of smoke that might normally suggest an accident. ‘It’s an enormous pressure,’ he told us, once the dry ice had cleared, ‘but if I can turn the pressure into something positive, I think I can retain the championship. I’m really proud to have Abu Dhabi behind me, rather than some random sponsor. Having a city behind you is great backing – wonderful support.’
This year’s rookies include Yoshi Muroya, a sensible Japanese ace who says his main goal is to, ‘fly safely and avoid penalties.’ Being the only Asian pilot in the race, he has a different set of responsibilities to some of the other pilots. ‘I’m looking forward to bringing a bit more of an international scene to the race,’ he says. ‘I think there’s going to be an explosion of interest in Asia. It’s really going to take off now.’
Abu Dhabi’s Red Bull Air Race takes off this Friday and Saturday. Follow the crowds down to the Corniche. Races start at 1pm.
