Matt Hall Racing: Hall looks forward to season finale in Germany
Friday, 30 July 2010 00:00

LAUSITZ, Germany – Australia’s Matt Hall is looking forward to getting back into the cockpit in the Red Bull Air Race in Germany next week and said he hopes to finish the roller-coaster 2010 season on a high note.

Hall, the most successful rookie in the history of the sport last year, added he was disappointed about the announcement that the world championship would be taking a one-year break in 2011 to fast-track technology developments and revise commercial aspects but added he believes the plans are designed to strengthen the future of the sport and make sense.

“We’re all ready for the Germany race,” Hall said ahead of the sixth and final stop of the 2011 season that will be staged at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, south of Berlin, a world-class motorsport circuit with grandstand seating.

“We have a few more items planned for the aircraft in Germany to get it handling as nice as possible and then we’re just planning on enjoying the last race of the season.”

Hall, a former RAAF fighter pilot who finished third overall in his rookie season, has been plagued at times by misfortune in his second season.

But he did get a career-best second place at his home race in Perth, finishing just behind Hannes Arch of Austria in a thrilling battle over the Swan River in April. Prior to that he had a costly mechanical failure in Abu Dhabi and ended up eighth. He also did not participate in New York race after he was sanctioned by Air Race officials following the incident Windsor in which the Australian and his aircraft skimmed the surface of the Detroit River. He was fourth in Rio, based on Qualifying day results, after the race was rained out.

“This has definitely been a frustrating season,” Hall said. “The good news is when I did get to race, I came second in a high-pressure home race. So we have lots to look forward to as we finish this year with lessons to carry forward.”

Hall is currently in 8th place overall with 22 points — not bad considering he has only three results compared to five results for the other pilots. The 22 points total is also only seven points behind fifth place — Pete McLeod of Canada. So a lot could still happen in the standings in the final race in Germany on August 7-8, where 12 points are up for grabs for the winner. Britain’s Paul Bonhomme — who the record books will show finished in third place and behind Hall in Perth — leads the championship with 53 points.

“My plans and goals for the race  in Germany are to demonstrate that we are still a force to be reckoned with in the future,” Hall said.

“I know I cannot affect the championship for 2010, though I can certainly make the top guys worry about the future by going into this race happy, relaxed and getting a good result with very smooth flying.”

Hall was the epitome of consistency in his rookie season. That helped him get third place overall even though he only once finished on the podium — third place at Porto — in six races in 2009. Unfortunately the pilot from Merewether NSW was not able to repeat that this year. Hall has had a lot of time since the North America races to reflect on the season.

“It has been a much-needed break between New York and Germany,” he said. “I had the chance to review all my lessons after my accident and address the issues that had surfaced. Of note was the way I had developed my business over the last 18 months, which had me basically involved in all aspects of the team. I was able to step back and reallocate responsibilities, which will lead to a more efficient team in the future as we continue to grow. That in turn has allowed me to relax more.”

Hall also said he was disappointed there will be no races in 2011 but welcomed the changes in the works for the long-term future of the sport.

“I understand the reasoning behind the decision,” he said. “There are a number of areas the air race have pinpointed to make the event stronger for the future, including development of a long term race calendar, stronger commercial relationships and organisational structure. This can only be a positive, as is the organisation’s commitment to improving safety.”
 
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