What Does 2009 Hold For Air Racing's Experienced Pilots? Pt. 2: Positions 5-8

For Part II of my 2008 pilot analyses for the Red Bull Air Race, I will be looking at the mid-field. This group was one where they had a combination of both good and bad luck in equal doses.

Alejandro Maclean (ESP)

• 2008 Position: 8th (21 points)
• 2008 Race Number: 36 (Same for 2009)
• 2008 Aircraft: Edge 540 & MXS
• 2009 Aircraft: MXS
• 2008 Status: Sixth year in the Red Bull Air Race

Alejandro “Alex” Maclean had a tough 2008 in the Red Bull Air Race. After switching to an MXS in the third round in Detroit, things started to look up, but he still kept getting the short end of the stick, mainly because he was not used to the MXS and all the wonderful things it could do.

Alejandro could have had an opportunity to score quality points throughout the 2008 campaign after Detroit, but it appeared that he could only fly a good race if the weather was perfect—anything else just wouldn’t work for him.

Maclean’s best moment in 2008 came at Perth when he was within arm’s length of reaching a podium place, only to be bested by Austrian Hannes Arch in the third place flyoff. The final round appeared like Maclean was starting to become one with his plane, and perhaps we could see more breakouts for the calm Spaniard.

Nigel Lamb (GBR)

• 2008 Position: 7th (30 points)
• 2008 Race Number: 9 (Same for 2009)
• 2008 Aircraft: MX2 & MXS
• 2009 Aircraft: MXS
• 2008 Status: Fourth year in the Red Bull Air Race

Nigel Lamb is one of the more well-known pilots in the Red Bull Air Race—due in part to the fact that his aircraft is quite an eye-catcher: a bright yellow MXS with Breitling sponsorship all over it. He has also done some stunt flying in film productions like the 2006 independent movie Flyboys.

However, Lamb has had his share of bad luck but he always took it with a grin and a chuckle. He was the first pilot in 2008 to take delivery of the new MXS and while it was boasted to be a really fast aircraft with a lot of capabilities, all that boasting went out the window with his mediocre results, including a disqualification in the third round in Detroit after flying too low in the chicane. It should be said here though that the times he was pulling in Detroit though could have stood against those of Chambliss, Bonhomme, Arch and Mangold—the top four finishers in that round.

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