American Looking for 'Clean' Performance In Austria Saturday

American pilot Mike Mangold looks set to secure his second victory in as many events when he takes part in the Zeltweg Red Bull Air Race in Austria on Saturday.

Mangold has been in dominant form since collecting the Rotterdam title two weeks ago and his times in Qualification suggest it will take an extraordinary performance from one of his rivals to stop him winning back-to-back.

In his "Dragon" Edge 540, Mangold was nearly 15 seconds faster than his nearest rival in Thursday's Qualifying Rounds, which featured five of the nine pilots taking part this weekend.

The remaining four pilots will have their two Qualifying sessions on Saturday morning ahead of the afternoon's Air Race, which features as one of the highlights of AirPower05, a leading European air show.

The Zeltweg track, with its long stretches and smooth, gentle turns, suits Mangold's fast aircraft. But as he readily admits, this advantage also brings with it extra pressure to perform.

"I'm not surprised to be in front, because the course is more even and less vertical than usual - it lends itself to a faster aeroplane," explains Mangold. "But one can lose that very quickly owing to the time penalty system.

"I am surprised to be in front by quite so much but I think the margin will come down when the other pilots qualify. I am feeling a little extra pressure because I'd like to stay on top."

Germany's Klaus Schrodt and American Kirby Chambliss will also be flying Edges during their Qualification on Saturday, though it remains to be seen whether Chamblis' two-seater performs as quickly.

Either way, it looks likely Mangold will again be setting the pace and the other competitors may have to rely on him failing to produce a 'clean' run without any time penalties.

"Mike may have to incur quite a time few penalties for us to catch him," admitted Englishman Paul Bonhomme, who finished second in Thursday's Qualifying.

The Zeltweg Red Bull Air Race is the third leg of the seven-event 2005 World Series.

FMI: www.redbullairrace.com