2008seasonisover
2008.11.10

2008 race season is over. Hannes Arch is the new World Champion.

The race evaluated again a lot in 2008. Better and safer pylons. Better organisation and a better TV program about the race. We are still not there, but, the organisation is learning. 
Unfortunately 2 races were cancelled.
In Perth the 180 degree turn was introducted to reduce speed and energy before pilots fly through the start gate.
The Quadro was eliminated and made place for the Duo. Two knife edge gates in a 90 degree angel. Better safety, and lots of exitement for public (and pilots) :-)
Enough pylon hits in Perth to entertain the crowds.

For 2009 some new rules were introduced.
1. Only symmetrical airfoils can be used. This means bye bye for the Extra of Nicolas Ivanof.
2. Only Lycoming AEIO 540 engines with 10:1 compression rate may be used. So the AEIO 580\'s are gone.
3. A minimum weight for all aircrafts. So it is to be expected that the race will be even more exiting.

We will see a lot of new aircrafts. New MXS is expected for Jones, Rahkmanin, Lamb, Mac Lean and Besenyei.
A new Edge 540 for Ivanoff. And a highly modified Edge for Dell. So a lot of money has been spent on airplanes.

One of the big question marks of course is who will be the new rooky pilot(s).
Un-officially Matt Hall from Australia has been announced. 
Loads of rumours, but as we know our Austrian friends, the official announcement will come a bit later.


For me it has been an interesting year. My first race as a "former air race pilot". In Abu Dhabi it did hurt, but I quickly found a way to deal with the new situation. Although coming from an aviation environment and working now in a media environment is about one of the biggest challenges a man can imagine. As a matter of fact it is exactly one of the topics of my key note speeches. Professional attitude. 
One of my quotes is that "If we in the cockpit would work the same way journalists and reporters do, we would crash 4 times per flight" :-)
Sounds hard, but, unfortunately it is the truth. but I found a way to handle this, of course with a big smile on my face.
I would like to share to questions I heard this season with you. 
Question 1. Asked in Abu Dhabi. Frank , how does it feel no longer beeing the heaviest pilot? (Honestly, I almost exploded, I did not hit the man, but ALMOST)
Question2, Asked to Kirby. Kirby Which moustache you prefer most, Sergey\'s or Peter Besenyei\'s one? (Do you think this journalist ever went to school)
Of course the standard 2 questions have been. How long have you been flying? And, Is air racing dangerous?
Very inspiring to do a good interview.
I hope you can understand that if you do a couple of hundred interviews each year it is quite annoying that a journalist does not even check out your website to do some research.

After season break.
Quite a few people decided to take their vacation downunda. I personally stayed in the Perth area.
A short summary of the places I have been and recommend to you.
The first round of golf I played at Secret Harbour, south of Perth. A links like golf course. Unfortunately the greens had just been done and were not good. Also I do not like golf course with lots of houses surrounding the fairways.
The second course I played was Joondalup. A fantastiv course , not easy but wonderful. Enough kangaroos for good pictures.
www.joondalupresort.com.au not to expensive and very high tech golfcarts.



The Vines is a great course to play. Competition course. www.vines.com.au
Kennedy bay is for masochists. 145 pot hole bunkers and fairway which definitely lead your ball into these bunkers. A course you have to play once, in order, .........to never ever come back :-)
www.kennedybay.com.au

Western Australia tourism invited Nick and myself for a two and a half day tour through Margaret river area. A super organised tour wich did lead us through beautiful countryside, very nice wine tasting and extemely good cuisines.
We started with lunch at Vasse Felix winery. One of my favorite wines produced in this house, which I visited for the second time. (First time was 2 years ago when I joined Peter Besenyei and his wife on a private wine tour in Vasse Felix) Memorable!
During the nights we stayed in Cape Lodge, a MUST when you ever visit WA. www.capelodge.com.au
A superb kitchen and a super winelist. :-) And when I say super I mean SUPA!
During our stay here we toured through the area with the discovery tour. http://margaretriverdiscovery.wordpress.com/
Our lunch break was at Fraser Gallop winery. Very pleasant atmosphere with passionte wine makers.
Clive Otto and Kate Morgan. The wine maker of the future, we will hear a lot from her. 
www.fgewines.com.au See the pictures in the fotoalbum on this site.

Margaret river left a stunning impression and I will definitely come back to this part of the World.

What 2009 will bring is a surprise.
But one thing is sure, there will be a lot of challenges!

:-)

Frank Versteegh