Arch started off 2008 with the modest goal of getting at least one podium. The extreme sport adventurer-turned-pilot caught everyone in front of him by surprise. With the help of a finely tuned team and some pioneering innovations on both his Edge 540 and flying lines, Arch shook up the race hierarchy and proved that commercial or military aviation experience are not necessarily prerequisites for success in the Red Bull Air Race.

“I never expected to end up winning the world championship this year,” said Arch, whose success was not limited to flying as witnessed by the large flocks of female fans that followed him throughout the season. “I saw during the course of the season that my plane was very fast. The secret was to be consistently on the podium. I also had the advantage of being behind Paul most of the way. So the pressure was on him.”

Arch only moved ahead of Bonhomme in the penultimate 2008 race in Porto. Bonhomme dominated the championship in the first half of the year with three 3 victories in the first 4 races in Abu Dhabi, San Diego, Detroit and Rotterdam. But Bonhomme’s 6-point lead started to melt away in London, where he was 7th. That was the opening Arch took advantage of, getting 3rd in London before winning the next 2 races while Bonhomme struggled with a 3rd in Budapest and 10th in Porto.

“Without a doubt my stumble was in London,” said Bonhomme, who won four races in 2008 with his victory in the finale in Perth. “That was the start of the demise.”

American Kirby Chambliss was back in form in 2008. The 2006 world champion won two races (Detroit and London) to climb back up to third overall in 2008. Hungary’s Peter Besenyei saw his run of top 3 finishes in the first 3 world championships end in 2008. He was 2nd in 2005 and 2006 before slipping to 3rd in 2007. He was 5th in 2008 behind 2007 champion, American Mangold, who got 4th in 2008.

In 2008 there was tighter judging with the help of instant TV replays and pilots complained at first by the higher number of with 3-second penalties. Tight enforcement of the 12-G limit also caused a stir in Porto, where Bonhomme was disqualified for exceeding the limit. The teams increased their efforts to come up with modifications to the planes – but the pilots were more secretive than they had been in 2007.

Pictures free for editorial use: Daniel Grund, Jörg Mitter, Balazs Gardi and Andreas Schaad for Global-Newsroom.