The 2017 Red Bull Air Race championship season returns to Chiba, Japan, this weekend with Australian Matt Hall hoping to put in a performance that will elevate him in the rankings.
Hall currently sits 13th out of 14 after finishing second in the championship for the previous two years as he and his team adapt to a forced change of aeroplane.
Czech pilot Martin Sonka currently leads the series on 21 points from Germany's Matthias Dolderer (16) and Yoshihide Muroya from Japan (15).
This weekend, Muroya will be keen to win on his home turf, which will give him back-to-back victories after winning the last round at San Diego. Muroya also won in Chiba last year, to give him his first race win.
Japan has clearly embraced RBAR and even moreso since their hero began to show his talent and beat other pilots. It makes for an exciting atmosphere for both the crowd and the teams.
"I'm always excited to be in Chiba," Hall told Red Bull media, "it's a great place to race. The crowd's amazing and it's always a sell-out, so it's a great place to be."
Hall has a long way to claw back if he is to challenge for the championship in 2017, but he and the Matt Hall Racing team are in the long process of adapting to their new Edge 540 V3, having raced an MXS-R previously. MHR was forced to change after a structural defect was found in their aeroplane before the last round of 2016.
"We will be on a learning curve and expect some teething problems as we learn to operate the aircraft to its full potential, but we have a good team and we're motivated to make this plane fast." he explained.
"The aim for us is to enjoy 2017 and consolidate the new aircraft and team. Our goal is to be a race-winning combination by year's end."
Round Three of the 2017 season is on this weekend in Chiba, Japan, with Masterclass qualifying at 1700 AEST on Saturday and the race beginning with the Round of 14 at 1400 on Sunday. The Round of 8 and Final 4 are expected to start at 1500 on Sunday.
More information is on the Red Bull Air Race website.