After getting his season on track with a Final 4 appearance at May’s Red Bull Air Race in Chiba, Japan, Pete McLeod returns to the sport’s classic stop in Budapest, Hungary this weekend. Canadian hopes are high: Last year McLeod earned pole position, the DHL Fastest Lap Award and second place in the Hungarian capital, and went on to claim podiums in the next two races as well.

McLeod took fourth at the race in Japan last month, and Red Bull Air Race broadcast commentator Paul Bonhomme was impressed. “Pete employed excellent tactics on Qualifying Day. He flew a steady first run, clean and fast, and then in run two, he trimmed the margins, which unfortunately collected him some penalties, but it’s a safe way of flying on the Saturday, and it gives you a very good idea of where the margins are for Race Day,” said the three-time World Champion. “Pete clearly did his homework on Saturday night, because he got all the way to the Final 4 on Race Day. His Round of 14 flight was clinical, as was the Round of 8 flight, which looked REALLY smooth. His Final 4 flight was superb but for an early turn at Gate 7. That annoying two-second penalty moved him from a possible second place down to fourth, but it was a great day out.”

After the high of finishing a career-best third on the World Championship podium in 2017, in Chiba McLeod was relieved to advance to his first Final 4 of this season.

“A great race for me. It shows a constant improvement, so that’s the bright side. I’m really satisfied with my flying,” commented the 34-year-old from Ontario. “I went for the win, and I have no regrets with that.”

So far in 2018, McLeod has improved his race results with every stop, from 14th to seventh to fourth, and he has worked his way up to number seven in the standings. With 75 points still on offer over the last five races on the calendar, everything is possible. Given the Canadian’s extraordinary feel for the quick, narrow Budapest racetrack last year, Team McLeod fans are hoping that the location known as the “Pearl of the Danube” will be the start of a multi-race podium streak for the Canadian once again.

“This racetrack can be fast, but also a lot depends on whether the winds pick up around the buildings. It can get turbulent,” McLeod notes. “The Chain Bridge, the crowds, racing in the center of a city – it’s a unique stop that goes back to the early days of the sport, so it’s always fun to fly here.”

Pete McLeod’s race at the classic stop of Budapest is only days away. For tickets and all the World Championship updates: www.redbullairrace.com.

About Red Bull Air Race
Created in 2003, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship has held more than 80 races around the globe. The Red Bull Air Race World Championship features the world’s best race pilots in a pure motorsport competition that combines speed, precision and skill. Using the fastest, most agile, lightweight racing planes, pilots hit speeds of 370 kmh while enduring forces of up to 12G as they navigate a low-level slalom track marked by 25-meter-high, air-filled pylons. In 2014, the Challenger Cup was conceived to help the next generation of pilots develop the skills needed for potential advancement to the Master Class that vies for the World Championship.
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