Day 1: Qualifying
Japanese fans witnessed home favorite Yoshi Muroya battle for a podium place in its debut in Chiba in 2015, and have been looking forward to the return of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship where the local hero will once again race and try for victory here at Chiba in 2016.
The start of the day was pretty fair… bit overcast and breezy in the morning, but things started to turn for the poor as the pilots were grounded and sitting around waiting to see if the planes would even leave the hangars.
Due to high seas and rough conditions at the Red Bull Air Race in Chiba, Japan on Saturday, the Race Committee was forced to cancel the Qualifying sessions for the Master Class and the Challenger Class. The racetrack over water was no longer safely operational, with waves up to 2.5 meters forcing an immediate end to all operations for the track and standby rescue teams before the afternoon’s qualifying sessions were scheduled to begin. Race Director Jim DiMatteo came out to make an official statement telling everyone “The current water conditions give us no choice but to cancel the Qualifying flying session’s for Saturday. Safety is of the utmost priority for the Red Bull Air Race, the timeline for Race Day on Sunday has not changed.”
“The current water conditions give us no choice but to cancel the Qualifying flying session’s for Saturday. Safety is of the utmost priority for the Red Bull Air Race, the timeline for Race Day on Sunday has not changed.”
Qualifying Day Conditions and Announcement
Qualifying determines the starting order for the Master Class head-to-heads in the Round of 14, and DiMatteo went on to explain that in accordance with the rules, with no Qualifying result in Chiba the pairings will be based on current World Championship standings.
As a result, local Japanese hero Yoshihide Muroya will take on Canada’s Pete McLeod, while overall leader Matthias Dolderer of Germany will face off with Petr Kopfstein of the Czech Republic. The field is tight, with a mere three points separating the pilots in seventh through third place, and the entire lineup is keen to keep Dolderer from building an insurmountable lead.
Despite Saturday’s weather, 40,000 motorsport fans turned out at Makuhari Beach and were able to enjoy a variety ground-based family entertainment including freestyle motocross demonstrations, as well as Free Practice flying sessions held in the morning.
Race Day and Weekend tickets remain valid for 5 June 2016, and even more spectators are expected for Sunday’s excitement, with the racing to begin midday with the Challenger Class, followed by the Master Class showdown.
Day 2 Race Continued on Page 3
