ABU DHABI // The aircraft may be state-of-the-art, but it is cutting-edge technology on the ground that helps make the annual Red Bull Air Race World Championship a reality.
Described as the fastest motorsport in the world, the jets used in the race can reach speeds of up to 370kph, inducing gravitational forces that push the human body to its limits.
Given such high speeds, the brains behind the race have had to devise a cutting-edge timing system.
When the Red Bull Air Race begins in the capital next week, competitors will be racing against the clock as they navigate an aerial obstacle course in the fastest possible time.
Pilots fly individually and have to complete tight turns through a slalom course consisting of 25-metre-high pylons, also known as “air gates”.
As the planes weave in and out of the roughly six-kilometre course, the winning pilot will have clocked the top speed after crossing the finishing line.
But in the world’s fastest race, fractions of a second determine who wins or loses.
Take last year’s race in Abu Dhabi for example – only six tenths of a second separated winner Paul Bonhomme of Britain and Canada’s Pete McLeod, who placed third.
With such slim margins, Jim DiMatteo, the event’s director, said organisers had adopted some of the most sophisticated timing technology available.
“Our system is one of the world’s most precise in the sports universe,” he said.
“Using 10,000-frames-per-second photo finish state-of-the-art technology, we go up 10 thousands of a second precision.”
Put simply, race officials can distinguish a difference of as little as 10cm between planes after they have completed the course.
Official timekeeping for the race is done by Breitling, with technical support by Alge Timing, an Austrian company specialising in sports.
Timing is handled by a race committee, race director, head judge, aviation director and sports technical manager.
In case the timing equipment fails, the race has five additional timing systems. They include cameras, aircraft-mounted transponders, laser scanners, a manual backup, and a new system being enacted this year with one-thousandth of a second precision.
Fourteen pilots from 11 countries are expected to compete against one another using some of fastest, lightest, and most agile one-seater jets on the market, capable of climbing at speeds of up to 1,300 metres a minute and rolling at a nausea-inducing 420 degrees a second.
On the course, the “air gates” that the pilots fly through might seem like giant inflatable balloons but, again, race organisers thought hard about safety.
Made of ultralight fabric, the air gates are designed to burst safely should a pilot clip one with the wings of their aircraft.
The inevitable repair jobs can be completed in as quick as a minute and a half by a team of technicians known as the Red Bull “Airgators”. That means minimal delays in the action.
Tickets for the event, which takes place on Abu Dhabi’s Corniche from February 13 to 14, are now available.
Exclusive tickets begin at Dh600, while general admission to a dedicated Red Bull zone on the Corniche is free.
Tickets are available at Virgin Megastores in Abu Dhabi Mall, Al Wahda Mall and Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi, and at BurJuman mall, City Centre Deira, Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Mercato Shopping Mall and Mirdif City Centre mall in Dubai, and online at tickets.virginmegastore.me.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
SPECS
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Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Honeymoonish
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Opening weekend Premier League fixtures
Weekend of August 10-13
Arsenal v Manchester City
Bournemouth v Cardiff City
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Huddersfield Town v Chelsea
Liverpool v West Ham United
Manchester United v Leicester City
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Burnley
Watford v Brighton & Hove Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Results
5.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
Winner Spirit Of Light, Clement Lecoeuvre (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer)
6.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner Bright Start, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
6.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner Twelfthofneverland, Nathan Crosse, Satish Seemar
7.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Imperial Empire, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
7.50pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
Winner Record Man, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner Celtic Prince, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Student Of The Year 2
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Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
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Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
Stage 5:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Jumbo-Visma 04:19:08
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:03
3. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Sergio Higuita (COL) EF Education-Nippo 00:00:05
5. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:06
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 17:09:26
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers 00:00:45
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:01:12
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma 00:01:54
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo 00:01:56
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
