Austrian Hannes Arch Beats Britain's Paul Bonhomme in Season Opener in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--(Marketwire - April 19, 2009) - Hannes Arch of Austria came from behind to win the first Red Bull Air Race World Championship race of the year in Abu Dhabi on Saturday with a scintillating triumph over Britain's Paul Bonhomme on a sizzling hot day in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Nicolas Ivanoff of France stormed onto the podium with third place while Britain's Nigel Lamb established himself as a force to be reckoned with this year, taking fourth. Australia's Matt Hall, one of four rookies in the championship this year, had an outstanding performance in his very first race, grabbing a sensational fifth place on the challenging 4.1 mile course of Air Gates set up just above the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf.

Arch, the defending world champion, saved his best for last, blazing to victory to the delight of the large crowd of spectators watching from the rim of the Corniche with a stunning time of 1:24.60 -- a full 0.89 seconds faster than Bonhomme's outstanding effort just moments earlier. Arch had stumbled in the Super 8 session and only just qualified for the Final 4 in fourth place. Arch, who also collected one championship point with his victory in Friday's Qualifying session for the fastest run through the track, then opened up his throttle in the final on a day when temperatures hit 104 degrees to pick up the 12 points. He will take a three-point lead over Bonhomme (10 points) to the next race in San Diego.

"There were always doubts in my mind because those other three guys have been flying so fast," said Arch. "If you make the tiniest of mistakes against Paul, Nicolas or Nigel, you'll lose. I was able to focus everything on the last run and put all my energy into it. The tactic worked out, fortunately."

Aviation history was also made in Abu Dhabi when most of the 15 pilots wore a new high-tech flight suit that will enable them to cope better with the high G-forces they are subjected to when racing. Using state-of-the-art technology, the tight-fitting G-Race Suit contains special liquid-filled tubes which change shape under G-Forces, contracting the special non-stretch fabric and putting pressure on the lower extremities of the body to ensure that oxygen-rich blood remains in the head. This together with interactive muscle straining and breathing techniques provides the pilot with maximum G-protection.

"The Red Bull Air Race prides itself on its 100 percent safety record and our philosophy has always been to stay at the cutting edge of racing technology," said Heinz Moeller, Director of Aviation. "The G-Race Suit is a state-of-the-art system that has never before been made available for civilian use."

Bill Gates, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Microsoft, and his family enjoyed the race on Qualifying Day in the High Flyer's Lounge, a premium viewing and hospitality area available at each stop of the Red Bull Air Race.

The 15 pilots in the largest field ever assembled in the history of the race fly the single-propeller planes weighing 1,200 pounds with tremendous precision, reaching speeds of up to 230 miles per hour and enduring forces of up to 12G as they navigate through the turn-filled courses just metres above the surface. Last year, more than 3.5 million fans around the world attended the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, which were watched by a total of some 500 million television viewers in 115 countries on six continents.

For further information please register at the new Red Bull Air Race Newsroom at www.redbullairracenewsroom.com. The Red Bull Air Race Newsroom is a free-of-charge media service providing print news, photography, radio, TV and web clips.

2009 Red Bull Air Race World Championship Results
Abu Dhabi

1.      Hannes Arch (AUT)               13 points
2.      Paul Bonhomme (GBR)             10 points
3.      Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA)           9 points
4.      Nigel Lamb (GBR)                8 points
5.      Matt Hall (AUS)                 7 points
6.      Sergey Rakhmanin (RUS)          6 points
7.      Mike Mangold (USA)              5 points
8.      Alejandro Maclean (ESP)         4 points
9.      Kirby Chambliss (USA)           3 points
10.     Peter Besenyei (HUN)            2 points
11.     Matthias Dolderer (GER)         1 point
12.     Glen Dell (RSA)                 0 points
13.     Yoshihide Muroya (JPN)          0 points
14.     Michael Goulian (USA)           0 points
15.     Pete McLeod (CAN)               0 points