Two No-Penalty Runs Secure Title For American

Mike Mangold secured the inaugural Air Race World Championship title Saturday when he finished with an overall time of 2:27.60, just 2.71 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Kirby Chambliss, before a hometown crowd of several thousand lining the San Francisco waterfront for Fleet Week.

Mangold, a former Top Gun pilot who was favored to win heading into Saturday's finale, flew two faultless runs in his Edge 540 against the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz prison and posted times of 1:14.70 and 1:12.90. Most importantly, he incurred no penalties on either run, while record five-time World Aerobatics Champion Chambliss and third-place Peter Besenyei of Hungary each collected three penalty seconds in the first round, for flying too high around the course.

With his overall time of 2:30.31, the penalty made all the difference to American Chambliss.

The San Francisco victory clenched the World Series ranking for Mangold, with an overall score of 36 points. Besenyei took second place with 32 and Chambliss secured a hard-fought third place spot with 21 points.

As was previously reported in Aero-News, Mangold has been in a seesaw battle all year with Besenyei, a two-time World Aerobatics champion. The American had a convincing lead in the standings heading into San Francisco, though, having won earlier victories in Rotterdam, Austria, Ireland, the UK and Budapest (photo, above.)

Besenyei was also hampered by a slightly slower two-seat version of the same Edge 540 Mangold flies, instead of his usual Extra 300, and the Hungarian was relying on Mangold picking up penalty seconds to secure victory.

Alas, no dice. Mangold would have only needed a second-place finish to win the overall title... but he decided to win it all instead.

German Klaus Schrodt finished fourth in San Francisco and fourth on the final World Series Ranking, while Briton Paul Bonhomme’s fifth place on Saturday matched his final position in the standings.

FMI: www.redbullairrace.com