Talking to the press: Bersenyei (centre) speaking at the launch ceremony. On his left is Wolf.
THE Malaysian racing calendar will see another entry to satiate the appetites of adrenaline junkies in 2014.
This time, instead of looking down, they will have to stretch their necks up to the sky for the Red Bull Air Race.
Touted as the world’s fastest motorsport race, 12 pilots will pit their skills in a battle of speed and precision in May next year.
Some 20 inflatable pylons, as tall as lighthouses will be set in a zigzag pattern over a body of water for the pilots to fly through.
The pilot who tackles this airborne slalom the fastest, and without incident, wins, explains CEO of Red Bull Air Race GmbH Erich Wolf.
Providing a teaser of what’s to come at the Putrajaya Maritime Center recently was Peter Besenyei, a Hungarian aerobatics superstar who became famous after flying under the Chain Bridge spanning the Danube River in Budapest upside down.
Often referred to as the grandfather of air racing, Besenyei helped develop the sport of air racing from as early as 2001, putting a team together for Red Bull.
The team debuted with their first race at Tököl Airport, Hungary.
In the course of determining suitable material for the pylons, Besenyei tested them for safety himself, at times flying right into one deliberately.
The end result is material that will give way at the slightest graze of a wingtip, minimising the chance of machine and pilot crashing.
Patterning the skies with swirls of smoke lines and enticing gasps from the crowd by zipping under the Seri Gemilang Bridge in an Extra 300L airplane, the 57-year-old found new fans who peppered him with questions on what it takes to be a racer pilot.
President of the Malaysia Sports Aviation Federation Tengku Abdillah Tengku Hassan noted that Besenyei was only able to show off 20% of his airborne stunts that day.
The technical specs of the Extra 300 is specifically meant for aerobatics, not speed, which explains why Besenyei was unable to repeat his stunning upside down performance for the invited guests and media.
Interestingly, the plane was rented for the occasion from an expatriate who has performed aerobatics stunts at air shows in Bangkok, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
However, Abdillah has chosen to keep the expatriate’s name anonymous so as not to steal Besenyei’s thunder.
The eminent arrival of Malaysia’s first air race has stoked the interest of local motoring enthusiasts.
Corvus Aerospace in Suzhou, as supplier and partner to Red Bull Air Race, offers a look of the Corvus Racer 312 TriGear, an advanced ultralight craft. Powered by a 100hp Rotax 912 ULS engine, it has a wingspan of 8,330mm and fuselage length of 6700mm.
Designed to fly no higher than 16,000ft, it has a maximum flight speed not exceeding 348km/h and weighs about 2,000kg .
Malaysian F3 racer Fahmi Ilyas, says the physical challenges of air racing will be great.
On the ground, an F1 racer deals with five times the weight of the car and driver.
On the ground, the driver will feel these forces from four directions-front, back, left and right. In the air, the pilot will be dealing with six, including up and down motions, he says.
In countering such forces, Fahmi says the neck has to be exceptionally strong.
Race pilots might strengthen this part by wearing a helmet which is connected to weights.
The idea is to lift these weights, as heavy as 25kg, by pushing the forehead forward.
Meanwhile, Aerolamba, the official host partner of the Red Bull Air Race, has revealed they are in process of selecting two Malaysian candidates for training as race pilots to represent the country in future air races.
But Aerolomba managing director Mohd Halizi A Bakar, says there will be criteria like flying experience and skill training to meet before a final decision is made. Besenyei, for example, has worked as test pilot for a Hungarian aviation company.
He is also an air-aerobatics instructor.
Halizi has been responsible for wooing Red Bull Air Race to Malaysia.
For information log on to www.redbullairrace.com
