An elated Matt Hall stood on the top step of the podium in Spielberg, Austria, yesterday after taking his maiden Red Bull Air Race win.
Hall pipped the mercurial Paul Bonhomme by a mere 0.057 sec in a thrilling Final Four round that also saw American Kirby Chambliss take third place, his first podium finish since 2010.
Hall stepped from his MXS-R race plane with an indelible smile on his face, his long-awaited first victory finally in his pocket.
“Finally. I think I just removed that monkey off my back. People can stop asking me those questions about when I’m going to win a race,” a jubilant Hall said.
“We have been working so hard and we knew if we kept working on our consistency the win would come eventually.
“To do it here in Austria where the race and Red Bull has so much history is just amazing.”
Hall had his wife Pedita and son Mitchell with him to watch his emotional first victory, and later said standing on the podium listening to Advance Australia Fair play was the best thing he'd ever done.
The weekend had not been a breeze for Hall. Organisers were forced to cancel qualifying on the Saturday due to weather, with the positions in the Round of 14 decided by the current standings in the championship. That put Hall in second place and a meeting with Spaniard Juan Velarde.
Tricky conditions over the undulating Formula One track forced Hall into a error, which resulted in a three-second penalty for striking a pylon. However, his opponent was hit with a total of seven seconds in penalties for one pylon strike and two incorrect levels through gates, sending the Australian into the Round of 8.
Some big names were falling behind Hall, with reigning champion Nigel Lamb called out for being over the 200-knot entry speed, Francois Le Vot disqualified for drifting over a safety line, and most disastrous, local hero and former World Champion Hannes Arch eliminated after opting for a Safety Climb Out when he hit the start gate pylon.
Hall's opponent in the Round of 8 was good friend Matthias Dolderer, who put down a challenging time, but copped a last-minute penalty for not having his wings level passing through Gate 10. Hall's time of 0:57.721 was enough to beat Dolderer even without the penalty, and was second fastest behind Bonhomme.
Czech favourite Martin Sonka rounded out the Final Four behind Bonhomme, Hall and Chambliss.
Hall was going to have to set down a blistering time to grab his first race win, and clocked 0:56.851 to set Bonhomme a mighty task.
During Bonhomme's run, the time sheets showed green in the first three sectors, meaning the Brit was running slightly ahead of Hall, and it looked like the Australian was to be relegated to second place again. But, as Bonhomme streaked across the finish line, the clock showed his final time as 0:56.908. Hall was victorious at last.
“Paul is always so consistent and so strong but we are in there with a shot now for the end of year,” Hall said.
“The key for us is going to be to make sure we don’t change anything and continue to prepare to race every day the way we have been.
Hall is now only five point behind Bonhomme, with the Brit topping the ladder on 55 points. The disastrous result for Hannes Arch leaves him 25 points adrift of Bonhomme. With a maximum of only 24 points on offer for the rest of the season, his title challenge is over.
The next round is in Fort Worth, Texas, 26-27 September.