Red Bull. Matty Hall

[Mick.B]

Matt is fifth place after Qualifying on Friday ahead of Saturday’s race in Abu Dhabi.. Not bad for his first race. Still trying to wrestle his new MSX-R. Well done Matt. :ok::ok:

[Mick.B]

From Red Bull


When Australia’s Matt Hall got the “smoke on” command from the Red Bull Air Race tower on Thursday afternoon just before starting his final training run before the weekend’s 2009 season opener, current and former world champions -- and pretty much everyone else in the hangars at the temporary runway -- stopped what they were doing to get a closer look on their TV monitors at the hot new rookie who’s been causing a stir in Abu Dhabi. Shattering the notion that rookies are confined to the bottom of the time sheets -- especially in their first race weekend -- the former Royal Air Force fighter pilot has thrown conventional wisdom out the wisdom with a sterling start. And you didn’t have to be a trained lip-reader to see the concern written all over the faces of many veterans when Hall aced his final triaing run. In fact, he posted a faster training time than world champs Hannes Arch (2008) and Mike Mangold (2005 and 2007) and outclassed five other veterans to take a sensational fifth place in the final run before Friday’s Qualifying.

“I think it went reasonably well today,” said Hall, still sweating after the high-speed, high-g run through the Abu Dhabi track. “That was the first time I felt that I had done enough in training. So I just went out and flew my own race the way I wanted to fly. And it seemed to go well. The plane’s fast so I’m finally starting to catch up with it.”

Hall has been taken a methodical approach to the race in his first season, where he is one of four rookies and 15 pilots in the largest field ever. In the first training session on Wednesday morning he did not even bother to fly through the whole track at least once, like most pilots, but instead spent the entire five minute session focussing on repeatedly flying through the chicane and two subsequent turns that he figured would be the most problematic part of the course set up just above the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf. In the afternoon, Hall then went through the whole track for the first time and jumped up to 10th place – ahead of “graybeards” Peter Besenyei and Glen Dell.

“There were a few parts of the track that concerned just looking at it, but I managed to figure out a way to go through that,” said Hall, a decorated fighter pilot during his 18-year career in the Royal Australian Air Force who also flew combat missions with U.S. forces in Iraq in 2003.

Told that the race veterans had all dropped their tools to gather around their video monitors to watch his flight, Hall laughed: “Is that right? They’re probably worried about me – worried about my safety!” He said he takes no special satisfaction in finishing higher than veterans, which in the past was unheard of for a newcomer in the world’s most exciting aerial motorsport. “I’m just concentrating on improving myself. If they’re watching me, that’s good. It means that hopefully they’ll give me some advice.”

Hall said tips from the more experienced pilots have suddenly begun to dry up in recent days as the buzz about his performance grew. They all remember how quickly Arch, a rookie in 2007, benefited from their benevolent advice and turned around and beat them all to win the championship in 2008. “Not anymore,” said Hall when asked if he was still getting tips. “They were until a couple of days ago. The good thing is that they’re complimenting my flying. But I think they’re not worried too much about me. I’m just a rookie.”

[Runaway Gun]

Good on Matt. A great ambassador for Australia, and a nice guy to boot. :ok:

[flog]

Is it scheduled on TV anywhere in Oz?

[LewC]

A program titled Red Bull Air Races is scheduled on a cable channel,FUEL TV,to be shown between 2.30 and 3.30pm on Sunday.They don't make it clear that it's the ABU DHABI event but it seems like a reasonable guess.It's to be shown again at 2.00am on Monday.

[QFinsider]

RAF or RAAF?

[AerocatS2A]

RAAF. Hornets.

[Wombat35]

Excellent news, extremely dedicated, hard working and talented guy !!

I wish I had an ounce of his talent... I'd have much more interesting "war'ies" rather than my Bou ones!

Good on you Matt, we are all thinking of you over here in NZ.

Cheers

Wombat

[Wizofoz]

Matt finished fifth overall, beating the likes of Kirby Chambliss, Mike Manigould and Mike Goulian.

GREAT result for a first timer!!

[Feather #3]

Very well done, but I'm not surprised.

G'day ;)

[AlJassmi]

Well done to Matt. Shame it doesn't appear to be on free to air tv. Was it Ch10 who have had it in the past? Surely it'd be a good fit on the new One HD?

[C-change]

Well done to Matt Hall but CH Ten don't appear to have any plans to broadcast the races this year. :mad:

Where is the support for an Aussie CH TEN !!! :rolleyes:

If you want to add your thoughts and hopefully get them to change their minds, go to the TEN website and post your comments on their forums.

Channel TEN forums (http://forums.ten.com.au/forums/category.jspa?categoryID=70)

If the link doesn't work go to www.ten.com.au (http://www.ten.com.au) and follow the forums to ONE, then other sports.

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

but CH Ten don't appear to have any plans to broadcast the races this year

Maybe they figured out that the Red Bull is boring as bat****! :E

Dr :8

[Chronic Snoozer]

Way to go Matty! Congratulations.

[AlJassmi]

Replay of Abu Dhabi Red Bull Air Race is on now - One HD 1800-2000, just noticed.

[startingout]

Too bad they did'nt include western victoria in that roll out of ONE.... have to keep my eye out on the web to see if anyone recorded the race.

SO:ok:

[tinpis]

Bat **** is entertaining compared to this todger pull.

[Wombat35]

Another 5th!

Well done Mate :ok::ok:

[Runaway Gun]

Wombat, how come you didn't give ME two thumbs up when I bounced your machine down the tarmac for five oscillations?

[dostum]

I remember Matt from his very early days in the RAAF. He was a very junior knucklehead at the time. I was also junior, but in another FEG. He took me flying in his ultralight at Cooranbong - scared cr... out of me, but obviously a natural pilot in love with flying.I haven't seen him for years, but a top bloke and he deserves every success.

[Wombat35]

:} true... but you didn't do it in front of 600,000 people!

But I will give you :ok::ok::ok: for your choice of subject in front of it later :}

Care to post it!

[WALSue]

Not long back from the RBAR in Detroit - another good race from Matt but the best man won on the day :ok: