Matt Hall is hoping to erase his Russian mistake at the fifth round of the Red Bull Air Race (RBAR) in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, this weekend.
The Australian was leading into the fourth round in Kazan, Russia, in July, but struck a pylon in his Round 8 match race, dropping him out of the championship lead.
However, Hall sees this weekend's race as an opportunity to get himself back to the top of the ladder.
“Obviously we would have liked a better result in Kazan, but sometimes things don’t go your way,” Hall conceded.
“But we haven’t thrown our hands in the air and said that it’s all over. If the tables could be turned in that one race in Russia, where we went from leading to sitting third, then that means in one race we could go back to leading again.
“With three races to go this season, the Kazan result is not a problem at all. It would be nice to lead all the way to the end of the year, but in a competitive environment that is a luxury.”
This weekend's race will be held above the military airfield at Wiener Neustadt south of Vienna, and marks 15 years since the very first RBAR race in Zeltweg, Austria. Hall has a happy history with Austria; it was at the 2015 race at Spielberg that he claimed his maiden race win.
“I am comfortable in Austria, but I’m not superstitious," he said, "So having won here before has no bearing on my mindset.
“This weekend will also be the first race of the season where we have a standing start, and don’t enter the track at speed. The last time we had a race with a standing start [Indianapolis, USA, 2017] we won qualifying. We know our plane is good in this race format and it has improved since Indy last year.
“Overall we’re happy and I feel we have the team, the plane and everything else lined up well too.”
Hall currently sits third in the championship on 49 points, equal with second-place Czech Martin Sonka. The USA's Michael Goulian leads only six points clear on 55.
Qualifying begins at midnight AEST (4.00 pm in Europe) on Sunday 16 September, while the race starts at 10.00 pm AEST (2.00 pm in Europe) on Sunday.
Australian fans can watch live online at www.redbullairrace.com/live. It will also be on replay with Fox Sports Australia next week.