Air Race 08 - Behind the Action

The Red Bull Air Race 2008 is to commence from the 10th of April. But what is behind such an action packed event?

The Air Race requires the use of 380 tonnes of equipment which needs to be transported to 10 different location across the globe.

"The Red Bull Air Race may be a major sporting and physical challenge for the pilots, but it is also a huge challenge for the Red Bull Air Race logistics team..."

The immense infrastructure that is packed up and transported to the events across the globe includes the Grid Stand which is the tower at the temporary runway. Also included is the High Flyer's Lounge for hospitality guests, the hangars for the racing aircrafts, the portable barges that the Air Gate pylons are built upon, the electronics equipment, kitchens, catering equipment, a mobile broadcasting centre where the TV programme is produced and much more.

To make sure that the infrastructure can be moved around the world in time for races in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Australia, there is even a second set of equipment consisting of all these elements and more.



Transporting this huge amount of equipment is either done by sea or by air. In most cases, a combination of the two. When transporting by air, the team use 2 Boeing 747 cargo planes filled to the max, whilst transporting by sea takes up to 40 containers.

Three whole days are required to dismantle the entire race infrastructure from the moment that last aircraft touches down at the temporary runway created solely for the event. Depending on means of transport that the team choose, the material can be travelling several weeks to the next location.

“Shifting 380 tons from one continent to another is a big challenge for the whole logistics crew, but our motivation is seeing the pilots competing in jaw-dropping races and crowds cheering on them when everything is up and in place"