Australia’s Matt Hall claimed his second consecutive Red Bull Air Race World Championship victory over Matthias Dolderer of Germany on Sept. 4. Hall’s final-round squeaker displeased the fans gathered at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany, but did little to slow Dolderer’s march to the 2016 championship. With two races left, both on U.S. soil, the series heads next to Indianapolis Oct. 1 and 2 where AOPA will host the Brickyard Bash after qualifying concludes.
Hall, in post-race remarks recorded by Red Bull, insisted the 2016 season is not over, despite Dolderer’s 16.5-point advantage in a series where each race winner gets 15 points. It is the 12 points collected for second place that have frustrated Hall’s late-season push to gain ground: Dolderer netted exactly that by finishing right behind Hall in Ascot, United Kingdom, and once again in Germany. Dolderer has built his commanding lead with just one race victory this year, finishing atop the podium in Spielberg, Austria, in the second contest of the eight-race season.
The AOPA Brickyard Bash will take place Oct. 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Yard of Bricks, with food, drinks, and live entertainment on the menu; tickets are available online.
Chambliss, who has two Red Bull Air Race championships and eight race victories for his career, holds fourth place in the 2016 season standings after six of eight races.
"I was trying to change a few things to shave off a fraction of a second and probably thinking about that when I should have been thinking about going through the gate,” Chambliss said in post-race remarks recorded by Red Bull in Germany. “I loved this track—it's somewhat technical, which I normally like, and the gate that I hit was just a silly thing. I'll be looking to win the next race in front of my home fans."
Goulian collected five points for his efforts in Germany, and also looks forward to returning to the home crowds. Goulian trails Chambliss by 11.5 points, and could move up several spots with a strong finish to his 2016 campaign.