Modern machines will race against a backdrop of ancient architecture in Porto, Portugal, in September, and the Red Bull Air Race World Championship also returns to Germany that same month. The season calendar was finalized a month ahead of the second race in San Diego.
Kirby Chambliss finished second in Porto in 2008, a season in which he won two races and finished fourth in the championship series. Fellow American pilot Michael Goulian will make his first appearance in Porto when the series arrives at the seaside city in northern Portugal Sept. 2 and 3, along with a dozen other Master Class pilots, all seeking their first Porto victory.
Pilots and teams are preparing for the San Diego race, and AOPA will be on hand for that event April 15 and 16, offering members an enhanced experience and welcoming race fans who get bit by the flying bug.
The series will then head to Chiba, Japan, in June; Budapest, Hungary, and Kazan, Russia, in July; then Porto in September, followed by Lausitz, Germany, where the pilots will race over EuroSpeedway Sept. 16 and 17. AOPA will again provide an enhanced experience for members during the final Red Bull race of the year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oct. 14 and 15.
Goulian missed his shot at a podium in the season opener in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, by 0.008 seconds; Chambliss joined Goulian in the top three fastest during qualifying but climbed through a gate in his first head-to-head pairing and lost the heat. Nonetheless, the strength showed by both pilots in Abu Dhabi bodes well as they head to San Diego.
Tickets for that event are now on sale.