American Mike Mangold leading the pack ahead of today’s Red Bull Air Race

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Cherie Blair and their family have become Air Race fans after watching all the action at the London Red Bull Air Race today.

The event saw American Mike Mangold top the league in today’s qualifiers in preparation for the Red Bull Air Race finals which take place in London tomorrow, Sunday 29 July.

In the sixth leg of the World Series event, the world’s best pilots will race at speeds reaching 400 km/hr, dealing with forces of up to 10G as they navigate an obstacle course, just metres above the River Thames right next to the O2 arena.

With the fastest time so far, Mangold completed the course in just 1:25.98 minutes beating Hungary’s Peter Besenyei and local favourite Paul Bonhomme who is currently leading the championship with 26 points.

With tight turns and twisting curves, the London race track is one of the narrowest of the season. On top of this the pilots face the extra challenge of windy conditions which cause the track to alter on a constant basis, making flying less than straightforward. “You have to prepare for the wind, but once you’re up in the sky, conditions can change rapidly and you are constantly improvising”, explained British pilot Nigel Lamb. “The way you fly out of and into the gates, the kind of turns you take, it all depends on the direction of the wind.”

The race kicks off at 11:00am today for ticketed spectators only.

Tickets to Sunday Race

The Red Bull Air Race is a ticket only event.  Tickets will not be available on the door on today.

Anyone wishing to watch all the action can tune into Channel 4 at 2.50pm today.