World champs spot for PE aerobatics ace
Patrick Davidson among 10 pilots chosen to compete in Red Bull races
PORT Elizabeth aerobatic pilot Patrick Davidson felt “pretty special” after being hand-picked to compete in the Red Bull Air Race world championship next year.
Davidson, 35, will put his individual flying skills to the test when he tackles the might of the adrenaline-fuelled challenger class, starting in April.
The global announcement was made in an article published on the Red Bull Air Race website yesterday and will also see Italian pilot Dario Costa take part for the first time.
Speaking from his family home in Seaview, Davidson said the competition would be tough, but he would embrace the challenge.
“It’s a completely new discipline for me, unlike anything I have ever done before,” he said.
“I think it’s best to go in with an open mind, and learn as much as possible as quickly [as I can].”
Established in 2003, the air racing series pits the cream of the flying world against one another as they attempt to navigate a challenging obstacle course in the fastest time.
The challenger class in which Davidson will compete sees 10 of the world’s best aerobatic pilots go wing-to-wing in a battle of eight races across the globe.
“Seeing that there are only 10 challenger pilots, I think it’s the best of the best and all the pilots will be tough competition.”
A breeding ground for the growth of the sport, the Challenger Class was introduced in 2014 to help outstanding pilots build their skills to the elite level necessary to potentially race in the World Championship.
Flying in race conditions is an important part of the Challengers’ progression, and has seen seven former pilots advance to the Master Class ranks.
Davidson was born into flying, with his father, Stu, being his trainer and mentor.
He also thanked his family for their support. He will make his debut on the starting grid at the French leg scheduled for April 21 and 22, but said he would be attending the Abu Dhabi, UAE race in February to see how things operated.
“I have been to some of the cities on the calendar, but there is also a lot I’ve never seen, and the locations on the calendar are not the worst cities to visit,” Davidson said with a smile.
He said the gravitational forces on his body during any type of training flight he would do, involved forces in the region of +10G (forces pushing from the shoulders into the seat) and -10G (forces pushing from the seat up to the canopy).
Greg Ritz, Davidson’s manager, said the idea had come about after he received a call from Davidson saying he wanted to race in the series.
“I saw it as a great challenge and got on it straightaway.
“Together, we worked out a strategy and plan and became good friends along the way,” Ritz said.
The Challenger Class pilots, from nine nations, are: Mélanie Astles (FRA), Florian Bergér (GER), Kenny Chiang (CHN), Kevin Coleman (US), Dario Costa (ITA), Luke Czepiela (POL), Patrick Davidson (SA), Daniel Genevey (HUN), Daniel Ryfa (SWE), Baptiste Vignes (FRA)