• Motorsports
    •  April 26, 2017

    The Sky isn’t the Limit With Kirby Chambliss – Fuelled by Red Bull

    April 26, 2017
    Ryan Ashenhurst
    Author Signature
    Ryan Ashenhurst
    Contributor
    Ryan Ashenhurst
    Ryan Ashenhurst
    Contributor
    Author Signature

    The Red Bull Air Race World Championship is an official World Championship, accredited by the FAI – The World Air Sports Federation. Purchase tickets today for the experience of a lifetime.

    The son of a professional skydiver, mile-high accolades are in Kirby Chambliss’ blood. Once a commercial pilot, Chambliss currently competes in the Red Bull Air Race, an adrenal competition of aerial assault.

    Kirby Chambliss of the United States performs during the finals at the first stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on February 11, 2017.
    Kirby Chambliss of the United States performs during the finals at the first stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on February 11, 2017.

    The Red Bull Air race doesn’t see the side-by-side action that the word “race” usually infers. Instead, a course of vertical and horizontal gates that the pilots must navigate and surpass in the quickest time possible is the ultimate objective, as Chambliss explains,

    “This isn’t just a competition about speed, although you have to be as fast as you can possibly be. It’s a competition of speed, skill, strategy and tactics over a course that is living and breathing and changing all the time. I’ll be racing the speeds turned in by the other 13 pilots in our (Master) class.

    “Every time the wind changes directions or velocity, everything about the course changes. Usually, it changes in the middle of a run. And all the time the course is changing and you are adapting, the clock is ticking. The smallest bobble knocks you out.”

    – Kirby Chambliss

    Kirby Chambliss of the United States returns from his flight during the first stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on February 11, 2017.
    Kirby Chambliss of the United States returns from his flight during the first stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on February 11, 2017.

    Chambliss is one of the most accomplished pilots in the Red Bull Air Race. Tenacious in pursuing his third title, the Texan is looking to dominate the sport in a similar fashion to his earlier career as a competitive pilot, winning five US National Championships.

    A key element to mowing down the third title are the mods that team Chambliss are bringing to the raceplane during the season. Recent changes included a stripped paint scheme to shave weight and a gill designed to regulate oil temperature. Every tenth matters when the gaps between pilots are usually less than a second.

    Kirby Chambliss of the United States flies along the city skyline prior to the second stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in San Diego on April 11, 2017.
    Kirby Chambliss of the United States flies along the city skyline prior to the second stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in San Diego on April 11, 2017.

    Chambliss heads to Japan with the rest of the Red Bull Air Racers on June 03. The American pilot has just started to build momentum having finished in the top four at the recent round in San Diego, the question is, can he climb to the heights of his previous success once again?

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