600,000 spectators packed the banks of the Douro River in Porto/Gaia, Portugal today for the eighth leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series. Roads came to a standstill and trains were sold out as thousands flocked to watch the race, making it the biggest single-day sporting event in Portuguese history. Steve Jones (GBR/Team Matador) beat Mike Mangold (USA/Team Cobra) by 0.38 of a second in a thrilling battle and had his first victory of the season.
Jones put in a sterling performance for the huge Portuguese crowd with a great run in the final through the 17-gate course to defeat Mangold. He posted a winning time of 1 minute 10.00 seconds. Paul Bonhomme (GBR/Team Matador) took third by winning the consolation race against Peter Besenyei (HUN/Team Red Bull).
Mangold leads the series, which has two more stops, with 41 points. Bonhomme is second with 39 points. Bonhomme had led for most of the season before Mangold moved ahead in Budapest.
The Red Bull Air Race pilots hit speeds of up to 400 kph and forces of up to 10G in the race finals flown on the compact slalom course just metres above the water. The final two stops of the series are in San Diego, USA and Perth, Australia.
Source & Image:
http://www.redbullairrace.com/
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