Red Bull Air Race attracts thousands

A plane loops around to make its way to the finish line during the 2007 Red Bull Air Race World Series championship rounds in Monument Valley, UT Saturday. The two-day event drew thousands of fans from across the Navajo Nation and world. [Photo by Natasha Kaye Johnson/Independent]

By Natasha Kaye Johnson
Diné Bureau

MONUMENT VALLEY — In 1945, the astounding and tranquil scenery of Monument Valley attracted the cameras of Hollywood filmmakers. More than sixty years later, the same backdrop attracted the 2007 Red Bull Air Race World Series.

Saturday afternoon, the international the Red Bull Air Race World Series drew in an audience of over 3,000 people from throughout the Navajo Nation and surrounding areas, as well as spectators from around the nation and world.

Monument Valley was only one of two locations in the United States that the company selected to be part of the World Series event that is scheduled to stop at 12 different locations throughout the world this year. The other US stop will be in San Diego in late September, and it has also been at venues like the beaches of Perth, Australia, Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul.

The event began with a song and prayer, and was followed by speeches by Navajo Nation leaders who welcomed the racing organizers and 14 pilots.

Spectators went into a roar of applause immediately following the opening address as four sky divers jumped and landed into the valley. As the first plane of French pilot Nicolas Ivanoff made his way into the course at over 215 miles per hour, the crowds of people sitting among the red rocks began cheering.

The Red Bull Air Race World Series was launched in 2005, and features the world's lightest and agile planes. Racers must navigate through a course of 65 foot high inflatable pylons going at speeds as high as 250 miles per hour.

The event proved to be an exciting and nail-biting experience for the audience who stayed glued to their lawn chairs or underneath their umbrellas throughout the 3 hour race. From the first day of qualifying rounds on Friday through the championship rounds, people young and old cheered for their favorite pilot.

One highlight of the race was USA racer Mike Mangold from Victorville, Calif. Mangold is part Jemez Pueblo and shared with the audience the powerful feeling he got from competing on the Navajo Nation. The US Air Force pilot, who was the Red Bull Air Race World Series Champion in 2005, placed third in Saturday's race behind Paul Bonhomme of United Kingdom, in second place, and Peter Besenyei of Hungary who won.

After the presentations of the trophies and greeting his newfound fans, Mangold talked about the race.

"It's a lot like being in a boxing ring," said Mangold of competitive flying. "It's hard to stay conscious."

Going at such high speeds, pilots are limited to tunnel vision. The centrifugal forces cause them to weigh as much as ten times their weight when in flight, and their blood is forced to the lower parts of the body, which reduces the output of blood from the heart as well as reducing the blood supplied to the eyes and brain.

The altitude and the uneven terrain posed a special challenge to racers who are used to flying on even surfaces above ocean water.

"It's quite action packed," Mangold said of the terrain.

Mangold was ranked in second place prior to the race, but he plans to step it up a notch for the next race on June 4, 2007 in Istanbul, Turkey.

"We know where our deficiencies are now," he said.

Many local spectators had never heard of the sport before it came to Navajoland. "I never knew about air racing," said Andrea Singer, 28 of Tonalea. "It was awesome. It was worth the travel and the money."

In 2001, a think-tank formed by Red Bull helped to create the sport, and it has become one of the world's most popular growing sports.

"The plane that came out here is helping to teach our young people what is out there in the world," said Clara Mae Johnson, 79, of Kayenta through an interpreter. "For grandmas like me, they haven't seen anything like this before."

Past air races, most of which are near ocean waters in metropolitan areas, have attracted more than 1.5 million spectators at one once. The limited access and parking at Monument Valley only allowed a maximum of 5,000 spectators. For organizers, it was ideal since they said the sport is intended more for television than live audiences.

Red Bull Air Race World Series organizers expressed interest in using the park as an air race location in early November. After looking through several books with the world's most phenomenal scenic backgrounds, the planning committee came across Monument Valley. Organizers said they knew of Monument Valley before looking at the books, and decided that they were set on hosting an air race at the "8th Wonder of the World".

"More Europeans know about this location than Americans," media relations manager Chantel Chretient said. "It surprised me that not so many Americans knew about it."

Local hotel rooms were filled to capacity, and many local residents, as well as high schools, rented out their rooms to travelers. The event also provided over 100 local jobs for the week.