Re-Inventing the Air Races

In September 2019 the aircraft of the Red Bull Air Races graced our skies for the last time in Chiba, Japan. After 14 seasons, Red Bull have decided to call it a day on their global air race series. The series had 51 broadcast partners across 187 countries – a truly global spectacle.

The demise of the Red Bull Air Race has left a void in the adrenaline fuelled world of Motorsport. This vacuum won’t be there for long. Introducing the World Championship Air Race.

This month I caught up with Michael Leung (find out more about Michael below), the CEO of the newly formed World Championship Air Race:

Q: What is the significance of holding onto the legacy left behind by the Red Bull Air Race?

ML: First of all, I must express our sincere thanks to the Management of Red Bull Global Sports in supporting our endeavour to continue the legacy left behind by the Red Bull Air Race (RBAR).  We are truly grateful. The significance of holding on to the legacy is massive because RBAR was the most popular Air Race in the world.

To me, continuing the legacy holds special significance.  I was in Chiba, Japan during the last Air Race of RBAR where I met many fans of the RBAR. They are truly disheartened by the discontinuation of the Air Race series. It was very apparent that the Air Race fans and supporters are longing to see the creation of a new Air Race series.

I am a follower of the philosophy of Kazuo Inamori, the management guru and creator of the Kyoto Prize.  His philosophy centers on “What is the right thing to do as a human being?” To me, creating the World Championship Air Race (WCAR) to continue the legacy left behind by the RBAR will fill the void in air sporting culture. I feel this is the right thing to do as a human being because it will revive the dreams of millions of Air Race supporters all over the world. 
Creating WCAR has since become a mission in life for me.

Q: When can you expect the first aircraft to take to the skies?

ML: We could only start organizing the WCAR after the final session of the RBAR finished in Chiba in September last year. There has already been significant progress, thanks to all the directors, the advisory boards, and the Masters and Challenger Pilots who all gave us a helping hand.  We have built up good relationships with a number of host cities and we are now working towards building up a racing calendar across the globe.

On 22nd December 2019, WCAR received the letter of endorsement as the exclusive Category 1 World Championship from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) – World Air Sports Federation.  WCAR and the FAI will be working together towards creating the 2020 Air Race series, with FAI providing the technical and safety oversight.

The next step is the launch of the WCAR Academy. This will enable us to re-qualify all the pilots, test the telemetry equipment, test the new racing format and the overall operating procedures.  

Launching a new World Championship Air Race series is not cheap. As you can imagine, it requires a large amount of start-up costs.  This is a very rare opportunity for investors to own a share of one of the greatest Motorsports of our time. We are at the final funding stage and we are confident that we will achieve the funding target pretty soon. If all goes according to plan, WCAR is aiming to start the 2020 series in the 3rd quarter of this year.

Q: What can the world expect from the new air race championship?

ML: From the new World Air Race Championship (WCAR) the world will continue to experience the satisfaction of humans’ fascination with flight. The races will also bring about the fulfilment of the inherent desire of the fans supporting their favourite pilot and team.  As humans, the desire to compete is in our genes and regardless of our cultural, social or historical backgrounds, we enjoy the rush of adrenaline through the experience of watching a challenging competition.

Air racing dates back to 1909, when the first International Meet was held in Reims, France. Aircraft technology was not too advanced at that time- none of the planes managed to cross the finish line. Having said that, the crowd was still fascinated by the race and they cheered on everyone failing to cross the finishing line.  

In 2003, the Red Bull Air Race (RBAR) was launched. This competition saw pilots continually push their aircraft and their bodies to their limits. Competitors had to navigate a challenging obstacle course in the fastest time. RBAR became the most exciting and popular racing event in the world with record crowd attendance. In September 2017, 600,000 Air Race fans crowded the banks of the River Douro in Porto.

RBAR created the modern air sporting culture and became the pinnacle of achievement in flying skills. Based on the RBAR’s successes, the WCAR shall continue to deliver an exciting new version of this spectacular air race.
Apart from the races, WCAR will also contribute to the aviation industry, mainly in developments of racing technology, in the training of young pilots and in promoting interest in aviation to the future generation.

Q: How do you see the competition evolving in the next five years?

ML: WCAR will improve the race format, particularly in the Challenger Class competition.  We will provide competitors and supporters with a highly regulated framework of rules and regulations set within an improved model of transparent sporting governance.  We also seek to improve team sponsorship and management, and to continue to enhance the safety management system. We will work closely with host cities and stakeholders to add value and enjoyment to the Air Race.

One aspect we are working on is ‘Festivalization’ – turning the Air Race into a Festival-like event so that activities will not stop as the last plane leaves the circuit.  Another aspect is the creation of the WCAR Academy so that we can offer a growth pathway to enable future race pilots to progress up the ladder to achieve the ultimate goal of becoming a Master Class Pilot.  

We are also looking into the introduction of new technologies such as electric planes and drones.  WCAR has set up a Race Plane Electrification Strategy and will work closely with the industry in E-propulsion.  E-propulsion will offer obvious benefits to WCAR and we are committed to embracing E-propulsion technology.

Watch this space! Michael and his team are working tirelessly to get this show on the road! If you are interested in knowing more, reach out to me by clicking on the links below. 

So, who is Michael Leung?

Michael Leung has an MSc in Air Transport Management from Cranfield University, and is a Chartered Certified Accountant and a Chartered Banker. His early career successes earned him the award of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons in Industry and Commerce of Hong Kong in 1991.

His later career was as CEO of a major financial group in Hong Kong, Macao and Southern China during the Lehman Brothers financial crisis, turning the group around to profits.  He currently involved in business jet and in aero-medical evacuation business.

Michael served with the Royal Hong Kong regiment (The Volunteers) and retired with the rank of Major. He was the Honorary Aide-de-Camp to 2 Hong Kong Governors, Sir Edward Youde and Sir David Wilson for almost 10 years.