American Red Bull Air Race pilot Mike Goulian now leads the overall standings in the series after a second-place finish in Kazan, Russia, on Sunday. Goulian trailed the Czech Republic’s Martin Sonka by .115 seconds in the final round and edged fellow American Kirby Chambliss by .066 seconds. It was Goulian’s fourth top-three finish in five races in the series so far and was good enough to put him six points ahead of Sonka and Australian Matt Hall in the overall standings with 55 points.
Goulian said the technically difficult course at Kazan demanded precision rather than aggression. “This job today is about perfection. Not so much about being super aggressive as it is to try and make sure you put the plane in the right place on the racetrack at every point,” he said. The series moves to Wiener Neustadt, Austria, Sept. 15-16 before capping the season in the U.S. in Indianapolis Oct. 6-7 and Fort Worth Nov. 17-18.
