Chilean pilot Cristian Bolton has been promoted to the Master Class category of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship Series to fill the void created by the death of Hannes Arch.
Bolton, a former Chilean Air Force fighter pilot, has been competing in the feeder competition Challenger Class all year, and will race in the Master Class for the first time at Indianapolis on 1-2 October.
Bolton sees his three seasons in Challenger Class as the perfect preparation for his foray into the senior competition.
"The Challenger Class is the perfect school to become a Master pilot; building on my personal experience it has allowed me to train, learn and achieve greater efficiency as a racing pilot, and now be able to tackle this new challenge," he says.
"I want to express my appreciation to the organisation for all the support I have at this moment."
In the Challenger Class, pilots share the same standardised race plane and the focus is on learning as individuals. Competing in the Master Class is more of a team effort. In a matter of a few weeks, Bolton has had to find a competitive plane and customise it to his flying style, as well as assemble a complete team.