It is always great to see my pictures published worldwide in various magazines. Another photo of mine got published on the cover of May issue of official Red Bull Air Race magazine. The cover features portrait of Yoshihide “Yoshi” Muroya, the first and only Asian pilot to compete in the Red Bull Air Race. Muroya has brought numerous innovations to the sport, in particular introducing pre-race meditation Zazen to the sport.
The Red Bull Air Race Magazine is a special-interest magazine that provides the reader with basic as well as in-depth information about the World Championship. Find out more about the world’s fastest motorsport series, its pilots, race planes and venues.
The Red Bull Air Race, established in 2003 and created by Red Bull, is an international series of air races in which competitors have to navigate a challenging obstacle course in the fastest time. Pilots fly individually against the clock and have to complete tight turns through a slalom course consisting of pylons, known as “Air Gates”. The air race organisers cancelled all events scheduled for 2011, 2012 and 2013 worldwide, but the series resumed in 2014.
The races are held mainly over water near cities, but are also held at airfields or natural wonders. They are accompanied by a supporting program of show flights. Races are usually flown on weekends with the first day for qualification then knockout finals the day after. The events attract large crowds and are broadcast, both live and taped, in many nations.
At each venue, the top nine places earn World Championship points. The air racer with the most points at the end of the Championship becomes Red Bull Air Race World Champion. The 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 series were won respectively by the pilots Mike Mangold, Kirby Chambliss, Hannes Arch and Paul Bonhomme.
Four new pilots from four countries joined the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in 2009: Canada’s Pete McLeod, Japan’s Yoshihide Muroya, Australia’s Matt Hall and Germany’s Matthias Dolderer.
The 2010 rookies were Martin Sonka of the Czech Republic, and Adilson Kindlemann of Brazil. After a three-year hiatus for safety improvements and reorganisation, the Air Race resumed in 2014.
WHO IS YOSHI MUROYA?
When Yoshihide “Yoshi” Muroya, the pilot from Fukushima, began competing in the Red Bull Air Race in 2009, he was the new kid on the block – one of four newcomers along with Pete McLeod, Matt Hall and Matthias Dolderer. However, with coaching from Steve Jones, Yoshi’s transition to becoming a race pilot was quick and seamless. Before each race, Yoshi practices the art of Zazen, a form of Buddhist meditation that acts to calm the body and the mind. This enables him to focus his energy into the task at hand – flying his plane to its full potential. When he’s not racing, Yoshi keeps his skills sharp by regularly performing in airshows. In his 18 years of aerobatic flight, he has showcased his impeccable control and aerobatic skill at more than 200 displays without incident.