ABU DHABI // Spectators were out in droves on Friday to watch the world’s best pilots battle it out over the capital’s skies.
Returning to Abu Dhabi for the 10th time, the Red Bull Air Race kicked off the World Championship season in style, with plenty of high-speed, low-altitude racing.
The race’s qualifying day, in which 14 master pilots competed to determine the order of play in today’s race, attracted aviation fans and adrenalin junkies alike to the Corniche.
“It’s fantastic to be here again for another action-packed season,” said Alfredo Araujo, 42, an avid race fan who flew in from Riyadh. “We all know Abu Dhabi is the perfect racing destination, with its spectacular skyline.”
The planes can reach speeds of up to 370 kilometres an hour and perform manoeuvres that can generate forces up to 10 times that of gravity.
The pilots performed a series of high-speed manoeuvres through 25-metre-high floating pylons along the waters of the Corniche.
Each competitor was allowed two laps around the track, with the fastest time preferred.
Martin Sonka of the Czech Republic topped the charts, finishing the course in 52.097 seconds, while the USA’s Michael Goulian was second in 52.458 seconds. Today, the pilots will go head-to-head, first in a round of 14, then a round of eight, and then the four best will compete in the final.
For many residents, it was a family day out like no other.
“The weather is just perfect,” said Ahmad Al Zaabi, 47, a police officer in Abu Dhabi who came with his wife Najla and five children, aged between 10 and 20.
“I wanted my children to experience the thrills and excitement here on the Corniche.
“As an Emirati, I’m so proud of Abu Dhabi for hosting another world-class sporting event. People travel all the way from their countries to come here to see the race.”
There were free spectator areas along the Corniche towards Emirates Palace, and along the Breakwater heading out to Marina Mall. Many were not only watching the gravity-defying aerobatic stunts, but also photographing them.
“I’m not really into planes but the sound of engines roaring near my home on Khalifa Street got me really excited,” said Nourradin Sharbati, 37, a Syrian photographer and graphic designer who has lived in the capital for 12 years.
Members of Pinoy Clickers Abu Dhabi, an amateur photography club, gathered at the Breakwater to take photos of the spectacle.
“I don’t know much about the sport but I came here to experience the thrill and to practise my photography skills,” said Christian Tecson, 36, a mechanic from the Philippines.
His friend Dennis Quillope, 27, watched in awe as the pilots performed manoeuvres at high speed.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to see these stunt planes in action.”
Today, the race main event starts at 2pm.
rruiz@thenational.ae
