Bonhomme benefits from Arch's error

Paul Bonhomme keeps his cool in hot and windy conditions to start his title defence as Red Bull Air Race champion with a win in Abu Dhabi.

Paul Bonhomme clocks a final time of 1 min 14.06 secs at 350 kmph in Abu Dhabi.

ABU DHABI // Paul Bonhomme kept his cool in hot and windy conditions yesterday to start his title defence as Red Bull Air Race champion with a victory in the opening race of the season. Bonhomme's win with a final time of 1min 14.06secs at a top speed of 350kmph was made more significant when his chief rival, Abu Dhabi's Hannes Arch, was disqualified in an earlier round after race stewards judged him of "flying dangerously".

Arch's elimination was the most surprising event in a day that saw four disqualifications and three technical problems. Pilots struggled to adjust as the winds changed directions and the heat put strain on the planes and pilots alike. Arch was upset with the disqualification, as he said: "I don't have a clue about what the stewards saw. It was a normal racing situation." Bonhomme, the Englishman, acknowledged that he has been given a "huge advantage" over Arch heading into the next round in Australia but said he had kept his focus as his other challengers pushed him for first place yesterday.

His compatriot, Nigel Lamb, and Peter Besenyei, of Hungary, had both set faster times ahead of the final round. "Clearly I've got a huge advantage today but there are other races and what happened to Hannes today could happen to any of us on the day," said Bonhomme, 45. "I was on the race frequency going back to the airfield when I heard he had been knocked out. I just thought we've got a job here and I knew the other guys were not far behind."

Arch, who won in Abu Dhabi last year, had looked set to repeat the feat after putting in the best qualifying time -1min 12.78secs - on Friday. But the Austrian was ruled out during the Top 12 round of the competition when race stewards ruled he had flown uncomfortably close to the crowds watching the action on the public beach. Lamb finished second and Besenyei third. Bonhomme claimed 12 points and carries a two-point lead into the next round in Perth on April 17 over Lamb, while the 2008 champion Arch was 11th and received one point to add to the one he received for topping the qualifying round.

Matthias Dolderer, from Germany, and Kirby Chambliss, from the United States, were also disqualified yesterday when their planes' wing came too near the water as they navigated the course. Sergei Rakhmanin, of Russia, was eliminated during the wild-card competition for flying too close to spectators. With conditions reaching above 40C and the desert winds shifting directions, it made for a challenging day for the pilots, and Bonhomme said: "To keep your concentration up when temperatures are so hot, it is a task."

In addition to Goulian, Matt Hall of Australia and The National-sponsored Alejandro Maclean, of Spain, also had to park their planes before the "Super 8" and "Top 12" round, respectively. After an off-season spent trying to improve on the planes, the Abu Dhabi race offered the pilots and their teams the first proper look at their competition. Bonhomme said he was encouraged that he had set the fastest qualifying time on Friday - though a two-second penalty had pushed him to third position - which he said shows he has closed the gap on his rival.

"I remember last year Hannes won the one point qualifying with a two-and-a-half-second advantage and yesterday ... I had the quickest net time," he said. "For me that was such a boost to how the other air planes are going to perform." [e-mail]