The San Diego leg of the Red Bull air races don’t officially start till Saturday (May 9), but the warm-ups have already begun, and they can be pretty diverting in themselves. I was downtown Wednesday afternoon and among those enthralled by the glimpses of at least one pilot doing barrel rolls, loops, and scary dives over the bay.
The actual races will offer the even more thrilling sight of pilots tearing just above the water around inflatable pylons set up in the bay, reaching speeds of up to 230 miles an hour and experiencing accelerations of up to 12g. The controversy over the air-worthiness of one of the competitors should add another little frisson to the viewing. San Diego’s the only US stop for this year’s race, which will also take the competitors to Abu Dhabi, Windsor (Ontario), Budapest, Porto, and Barcelona. Since the first race was held in 2003, the number of teams competing has steadily risen. This year’s event boasts 15.
Those who buy tickets will view the action here from bleachers set up at the north and south peninsulas of Embarcadero Marina Park on the waterfront. Giant screen TVs, up-close commentary, and food concessions are also what you get for the price of admission ($20 general and $10 for children and military on Saturday; $30 and $20 on Sunday, and $40 and 25 for both days.) But when I went down for last year’s Sunday finals, I was happy to find street parking and pretty good free viewing amidst the crowd at Seaport Village.
The air race website (http://www.redbullairrace.com) is bursting with lots more information
