WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 SPORTS

“It feels awesome,” said Hall, who has been on the podi- um in five of six races this year and has come tantalizingly close to his first victory several times with three second- place finishes. “It’s good to get that first win and get that off my back. It’s been a hard day, a very hard day,” he added, referring to the choppy winds that caused a num- ber of upsets in the opening round of 14. Hall even had a pylon hit in the first round but still advanced against of Spain. “I went for the win in the Final Four, had a clean flight and a good flight.” Racing just meters above the ground at speeds of up to 370 km/h, the 14 pilots from 11 nations faced extraordi- nary challenges on the spectacular Spielberg track, set up on the infield of the Formula One race track. Not only did they have to contend with trees and undulating mountain slopes along with considerable turbulence and gusty winds, they also had to deal with a difficult 61-meter change in elevation that makes the Spielberg stop so chal- lenging for the pilots. Despite getting knocked out in the opening round, ’s , who is third overall with 30 points, still holds the track record time of 55.545 seconds set last year in Qualifying in cooling temperatures in October. The battle for fourth place overall also remained tense after Spielberg ahead of the final two stops in the United States, in Fort Worth, Texas on Sept. 26-27 and Las Vegas on Oct. 17-18. In the Red Bull Air Race, which is the official world championship of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the world’s top pilots endure forces of up to 10G as they navigate as precisely as possible through a low-level slalom track marked by 25-metre high air-filled pylons. Results Spielberg: 1. (AUS), 2. (GBR), 3. (USA), 4. Martin Sonka (CZE), 5. Pete McLeod (CAN), 6. (GER), 7. (USA), 8. Peter Besenyei (HUN), 9. (FRA), 10. YoshihideMuroya (JPN), 11. Juan Velarde (ESP), 12. Hannes Arch (AUT), 13. (GBR), 14. FranÁois Le Vot (FRA). World Championship standings: 1. Bonhomme 55 points, 2. Hall 50, 3. Arch 30, 4. Sonka 23, 5. McLeod 18, 6. Lamb 17, 7. Dolderer 15, 8. Muroya 11, 9. Ivanoff 11, 10. Goulian 10, 11. Chambliss 9, 12. Besenyei 8, 13. Velarde, 14. Le Vot.