Hannes Arch won the Red Bull Air Race in Rovinj for the second year in a row in the most competitive race in the history of the high-speed, low-altitude sport. The Austrian bounced back in style after struggling in training this week and Qualifying on Saturday to win the third race of the 2015 season and turn the eight-race world championship battle into a tight-three way fight at the top.
Hannes prevailed in an intense battle on Sunday against the world’s best pilots and changing winds off the Adriatic Sea to claim the victory in the Red Bull Air Race in Rovinj, Croatia. Martin Sonka of the Czech Republic got a career-best second place in the race, where pilots hit speeds of 370 km/h, while Matt Hall of Australia got his third straight podium with third place on the difficult, windswept racecourse set up just off the shorelines of Rovinj.
“It’s special,” said Hannes, clearly moved by the support from the Austrian supporters and his family as well as his recovery from a dismal 11th place two weeks ago in Chiba, Japan. “We started slowly here this week in training but I realized my lines were good and I tried to focus on my game and not anyone else. I’m really happy to win in Croatia in front of so many fans.
Britain’s Paul Bonhomme, who won Qualifying but finished in eighth and Australia’s Matt Hall, who was third in Rovinj, are on top of the championship with 25 points each while Hannes jumped from seventh place overall to third on 17 points after getting 12 for the win in Croatia. Hannes also sent a large contingent of Austrian fans who traveled to Rovinj into a frenzy with his 10th career victory in the world’s fastest motorsport series.
