Air Racing Behind The Scenes: Challenger Class Training Camps

Before pilots ever get a chance to compete in the Red Bull Air Race feeder category, the Challenger Class, they must successfully complete a training camp under keen observation and expert coaching from legends in the sport. Challenger Cup Race Director Steve Jones explains.

- Red Bull

The Red Bull Air Race first devised the Challenger Cup in 2014, and today at least a year’s experience in the category is mandatory for a pilot to be considered for the World Championship. But just getting into the Challenger Class is a feat in itself. Pilots need to make sure they’re up to the task of high-speed, low-altitude racing, ultimately earning a Challenger Class Super Licence. The training camps are a key part of the process.

Jones, who is himself a race-winning former pilot, oversees the Challenger Cup, and along with fellow former race pilots Klaus Schrodt and Sergey Rakhmanin ensures that the new pilots to the Red Bull Air Race are ready to compete safely.

Before the pilots are invited to a training camp, they have been spotted by one of the three trainers. “We don’t start from a status of zero information,” says Jones. “Klaus would have monitored them beforehand and knows what they’re like, and what their experience levels are like. He will also brief me so I have an idea as well.”