Canada’s Pete McLeod earned his first win in the Red Bull Air Race seriesSunday in Las Vegas but it wasn’t the way he wanted to win. McLeod was awarded the victory on the strength of his first-place qualifying time on Saturday after heavy winds cancelled the final rounds on Sunday.This shows that Qualifying is important – we all know that weather can be a factor. You always want to race on race day, said McLeod, who has won four of the seven Qualifying sessions this season but had just two third place results in Abu Dhabi and Fort Worth, Texas to show for it. Im happy with my flying in Qualifying so its something to smile about. I still want to earn my first win in the Final Four.
McLeod, who under Red Bull rules flew last in the first round of the finals on Sunday, refused to run the course when winds knocked down the inflated pylons that marked the course. He said he did so for safety reasons and was willing to accept a last-place finish if race officials considered his decision to be a withdrawal from the race. In the end, the race committee agreed that conditions (wind gusts exceeding 30 knots) were too dangerous to continue and awarded McLeod the win based on his flawless flight in good conditions the day before. Several of the pilots who flew on Sunday are reportedly protesting the result.
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