The only Red Bull Air Race pilot flying the Maple Leaf – Pete McLeod – will compete in the third stop of the eight-race World Championship at Chiba, Japan this weekend. He’s aiming to boost himself ever closer to the hard-won overall podium position he earned in 2017.

The 2018 season has provided its share of obstacles for McLeod, mainly in the form of penalties that have kept him from advancing to fight for the podium in the Final 4. But his seventh-place finish in France just a month ago was nonetheless a leap in the right direction. Just fifteen points – the amount awarded for a single race win – separate him from breaking into a tight trio currently at the top of the leaderboard. And it’s worth remembering that last year McLeod hit his stride mid-season, capturing four consecutive pole positions, earning three second-place finishes in a row and clinching the DHL Fastest Lap trophy for the entire year.

A challenge for the sport’s pilots as they head into Chiba is that few of them had access to their raceplanes, because the aircraft had to be transported from Europe to Japan.

“Having advance time with the raceplane can be a big benefit,” McLeod explains. “Not only for the pilot, but also technically for the rest of the team to improve the plane and have things ready for more relaxed environment come race week. That being said, given the global calendar in the Red Bull Air Race, it’s ‘normal’ to go long periods of time without having access to fly or work on your raceplane.”

Most pilots, however, have other aircraft to train with at home, and this is where McLeod currently finds himself at a disadvantage: “This season has a new challenge for me, because I currently do not have an aerobatic airplane I can fly to maintain my G-tolerance, timing and overall flight conditioning when I’m not at the race,” McLeod discloses. “Normally I use the aircraft that that I fly in freestyle displays for this conditioning, but I’m transitioning to another aircraft and it’s not yet available – not until later in the year.”

So how is the team preparing? McLeod describes: “My strategy in France was to arrive early to help eliminate more jet lag and get into the ‘race environment.’ At Chiba we will have even less time to prepare as the testing schedule has been shortened there. So the key for Chiba will be to maximize rest, energy, and conditioning – without actually flying – not an easy task.”

Fortunately, the pilot who thrives on flying in the Canadian wilderness is adept and calm when it comes to navigating obstacles.

“A lot can change in a hurry in this series, so I’m not worried about the season yet as far as my performance goes – but I’ll need to have a solid race soon,” says the 34-year-old. “It appears there are a couple teams with technological aircraft improvements that are really helping them hold a strong pace; moreso than last season. We are working on a couple changes to our aircraft that hopefully will close this gap. However, these changes are difficult to do during the season due to timing and access to the plane, so it will take a couple more races at least…hopefully it’s not too late.”

And on the up side, he concludes, “I’m feeling a big improvement in my energy, flying, and focus from the start of the year and looking forward to Chiba!”

See Pete McLeod race in Japan on Saturday and Sunday, 26-27 May: Tickets for the Red Bull Air Race World Championship are on sale now. Visit www.redbullairrace.com.