STELLAR LINE-UP OF INTERNATIONAL PILOTS ANNOUNCED FOR THE JUNE AIR RACE 1 IN SPAIN
A number of the world’s leading air race pilots have been confirmed to compete in the first ever Air Race 1 competition, which is to be held at the modern Lleida - Alguaire Airport in the beautiful Catalan city of Lleida, Spain on 1 June 2014.
A full and strong line – up of 12 competitors has been announced for Air Race 1’s maiden event, with six pilots originating from France, three from the United Kingdom, two from the USA and one from Sweden. National pride will be at stake as the dozen highly trained aviators push themselves to the limit and fight for high motorsport supremacy.
The field of pilots together have nearly 70,000 hours of flight experience. They will tap into their spectrum of aviation backgrounds in roles such as Air Force pilot, aircraft engineer, airplane builder, aviation mechanic, airline pilot, aerobatic competitor, aeronautics professor and others. All of this experience will help the teams to formulate innovative strategies and ensure intense close races.
Air Race 1 is a formula one class airplane race with up to eight pilots at a time battling it out against each other around a tight 5km circuit, hitting speeds of up to 400kph, while warding off heavy G-forces at levels as low as 35ft. It is different to every other air sport series out there. Spectators and TV audiences will be treated to exhilarating displays of flying talent from an elite group of pilots.
Commenting on the maiden event and its pilots, CEO of Air Race 1, Jeff Zaltman, said:“ The skills and training that multiple-plane air racing requires are unparalleled in most other sports – and no one embodies these impressive qualities more than the pilot that throws his or her hat into the ring for this international level of formula one airplane race. Air Race 1 puts great demands on a pilot, bothphysically and mentally, and it will be a thrill for all to watch their aviation prowess in action.”
Air Race 1 is recognized as an official international competition by all dedicated governing bodies of formula one air racing. It is a thrilling test of pilot skill established upon the long-running historic formula one airplane
class.
Formula one airplane designs, like in other motorsport classes, are guided by a defined set of strict parameterssuch as wing area, engine size and other characteristics of the design. Often based on the popular Cassutt model, the Air Race 1 will be host to seven different models of formula one aircraft to ensure an engineering challenge in addition to the pilot challenge.
About the Pilots:
USA Pilots
#45 Jay Jones
Hailing from Buena Vista, Colorado, Jay will be racing for the Quadnickel Racing team and has over 17 years of experience in international formula one racing. Jay is a commercial aircraft builder and aircraft design specialist.
#87 Steve Temple
With call sign ‘Senor Rapido’, Steve was the 2005 ‘Rookie of the year’ at the Reno air races and has placed as high as third in the US national championships. Steve learned to fly before he learned to drive, attending his pilot license age 16. With a military career background, Steve currently works for the US air force in Germany.
UK Pilots
#11 Des Hart
From Perthshire in Scotland, Des will be flying “Hart Attack!” for the 2014 season. His plane’s tail proudly features a striking blue and white Scottish Saltire design. Des has been flying since the age of 20 and is also a qualified commercial pilot.
#33 Jeremy Cooke
Hailing from Oxfordshire under call sign ‘Jez’, Jeremy learned to fly aged 15, eventually gaining his professional license when he was 30 and now flies business jets internationally. No stranger to competitive sport, Jeremy has been competing in formula one air races since 1981 and he also played semi-professional polo for 15 years.
#22 Trevor Jarvis
Flying his ‘Taylor JT.2 Titch’ for team “Catch 22”, Trevor will be competing as a rookie in Llenda. It wasn’t until 2007 after changing hands several times that the ‘Titch’ was finally completed by its previous owner Terry Gardner – a 36-year build – so it remains to be seen if that maturation will pay off!
French Pilots
#6 Christian Guilie
Christian is an associate professor of mechanical engineering who started flying in 1987. Christian is also an accomplished aircraft builder and will be racing in his Arletty II which he designed and build himself in 2007. Christian won an experimental competition with his plane at the 2009 world air games in Turin, Italy
#25 Bernard Marichy
With his ‘MP205 Busard’ aircraft, Bernard is a former French Air Force aircraft mechanic and now works as a mechanic for airbus at its flight test centre. He homebuilt his Busard – the formula one aircraft he has raced since 2003.
#31 Guy Chereau
Guy attained his license when he was just 17 years old. Guy has just retired from an IT job, and now spends most of his time in aviation. Since 2004, Guy has raced his formula one air racer, a Cassutt IIIM, in several French air shows and pylon races.
#55 Patrick Gajan
Under the call sign ‘Coyote’, Patrick spent most of his professional life as a bank production engineer and started to fly gliders when he was just 16 years old. An experienced pilot now, Patrick only took up formula one air racing in 2013 with his plane ‘Sicole’, a CP 80.
#16 Stanislas Damiron
Works for Dassult Aviation in the company’s Paris Design Office. Stan has been a private pilot since 2007. He passed his French aerobatics endorsement in 2012 and has so far accumulated 50 hours in his plane, so he knows all its performance characteristics well.
#46 Vincent Martinez
Recently retired, Vincent, is an equally experienced aerobatic pilot. Vincent won the French formula one championship in 1999 and 2000. He helped to build the Cassutt IIIM he currently races and started formula one pylon are racing in 1998.
Swedish Pilot
#99 Thom Richard
Thom Decides at the age of seven that air racing was to be his life’s ambition. He raced formula one airplanes in the US Championships in 2008 & 2009 and became the Gold class champion and the Silver class champion in 2009 making him the first pilot to ever win both the gold and silver classes in the same year in two separate airplanes. Thom will compete in “Margaret June”.