Besenyei Wins Red Bull Air Race Season Opener In Abu Dhabi, But Brit Bonhomme Records The Fastest Time

The third rendition of the uber-exciting Red Bull Air Race program is off to quite a start... this time in Abu Dhabi. Peter Besenyei of Hungary has won the Red Bull Air Race 2007 season opener in Abu Dhabi under scorching heat on Friday, beating American Mike Mangold in what was described as a "a heart-stopping final." A crowd of 250,000 people turned out to watch the high-speed spectacle which was held on the picturesque Corniche in the UAE's capital city.

Besenyei survived four gruelling knock-out rounds in sweltering desert temperatures of 38 degrees celsius. However, his winning time of 1:26.24 minutes in the final was not the fastest of the day. British pilot Paul Bonhomme of Cambridgeshire, UK, undercut Besenyei's time in the decider for 3rd and 4th place by nearly a second, setting a course record.

Mangold's time of 1:27.27 was sufficient for second place.

The Abu Dhabi event kicked off the third annual Red Bull Air Race World Series. The next stop in the 12-event championship will be held on April 21 in Rio de Janeiro.

Red Bull Air Race - Round 1, Abu Dhabi results:

1. Peter Besenyei(Hungary)
2. Mike Mangold (USA)
3. Paul Bonhomme (UK)
4. Kirby Chambliss (USA)
5. Steve Jones (UK)
6. Frank Versteegh (NED)
7. Alejandro Maclean (ESP)
8. Michael Goulian (USA)
9. Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA)
10. Klaus Schrodt (GER)
11. Nigel Lamb (UK)
12. Sergey Rakhmanin (RUS)
13. Hannes Arch (AUT)

FMI: www.redbullairrace.com