Red Bull Air Race is big in Jersey

I caught a few minutes of the Red Bull Air Race this afternoon. The 12-plane exhibition took place in the Hudson River off Liberty State Park in Jersey City – about a 10 minute bike ride on my trusty Giant, so I had no excuse not to go, despite ambient temperatures rivaling what you’d find on the surface of the sun.

The planes are extremely small – maybe 25 feet across the wings – and fly at a relatively genteel 210-230 mph while maneuvering like mad though a series of tightly placed inflatable cones. The entire “track” measures 5.5 km (less than 3.5 miles), which would be decent for auto racing, but seemed a bit scrunched for planes. I imagine promoters needed to keep things close in to allow spectators, who paid concert-ticket prices, to be able to see what was going on.

Knowing the general park terrain, and having a decent telephoto lens, I was able to get some shots from outside the venue, and save my money for beer. The Statue of Liberty was obscured by bleachers, but the lower Manhattan skyline made an awesome backdrop for these screaming machines.

Someone named Paul Bonhomme from Great Britain won, by the way. A fellow countryman awesomely named Nigel Lamb came in second, and American Kirby Chambliss was third. This was the only American race in the series, it now goes to Europe.