The eighth and final race of this year’s Red Bull Air Race, which was held on 26th October, saw the 12 participating pilots fighting it out above the Spielberg grand prix racetrack in the Austrian Alps. The 35,000 spectators witnessed Lamb, Arch and Bonhomme, the first three in the overall standings, fiercely battling it out in the air, but it was ultimately the Frenchman, Nicolas Ivanoff, who achieved the fastest time with 57.4 seconds; not quite fast enough however to claim the title.
With not much in it, Hannes Arch achieved the second fastest time, although, in collecting a penalty, found himself retrograded to fourth place. Nigel Lamb rounded the match off with 58 seconds, putting him second on the day, but above all picking up the valuable points that projected him to the top of the podium in the overall standings, ahead of Arch and Bonhomme.
Never say die; the 58-year-old, Nigel Lamb finally displaced Paul Bonhomme to become world champion title holder, although he did have some difficulty in actually believing it.
Nigel Lamb, World Champion - Red Bull Air Race 2014: interview in the video.
The epilogue of this nail-biting championship ended under a confetti shower in the sun. After three years of absence, the competition has not lacked pace.
For 2015, the organizers have not yet agreed on the schedule, but one thing is for sure, the Red Bull Air Race will definitely take place next year, and will even be disputed at Sochi, in Russia, theatre of the last Winter Olympics Games.
