For the first time in the three years the Red Bull Air Race World Championship has been racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, an American has won.
In front of 40,000 spectators, Michael Goulian beat Canadian Pete McLeod and Frenchman Nicolas Ivanoff on the most technical course of the air racing season. Racing through a low-level slalom track with 80-foot-high air filled pylons, the pilots reached top speeds of 230 mph and endured 10Gs of force.
“It’s a big day,” Goulian said in a press release. “Right now, the season doesn’t even mean anything, because to win at Indy is amazing. Sometimes the day just works out for you, and today it did. It feels great to win here.”
"Right now the season doesn't even mean anything – to win at Indy is amazing." - @mikegoulian
— Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) October 7, 2018
RECAP ➡️ https://t.co/h8clDqjChU#AIRRACE | #IMS | @Redbullairrace pic.twitter.com/6V9S85Ob3y
From the podium, Goulian made his way to the frontstretch of Indy to kiss the bricks - just as auto racing legends Will Power in IndyCar and Brad Keselowski in NASCAR have done already this year.
While the season standings were not a primary concern for Goulian, the victory vaulted him back into the points lead of the Red Bull series. He now has a five point advantage over Czechoslovakia’s Martin Sonka and is seven points ahead of Austria’s Matt Hall.
The final race of the season will be held in Fort Worth, Texas this November at Texas Motor Speedway.