The Fastest Motor Sport in the World

"My name is Juan Velarde. I’ve been flying for Iberia for the past 22 years and I now work at this exciting job in the position of captain, flying A330s on long-haul routes to the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Aviation has always been a big part of my life, and some years ago I began getting into the world of sports flying.

To date, I have mainly engaged in competitive aerobatics, and in my decade as a member of the Spanish Aerobatic Team we have won several medals in European and world events. About five years ago, I tried something new, and began to compete in the Red Bull Air Race, the fastest motor vehicle competition there is. We fly single-seater, high-performance aircraft that are light, powerful, and manoeuvrable, reaching speeds close to 400 km/h and altitudes as low as 20 meters from the ground or water, around circuits marked out by inflatable pylons. They oblige us to make tight, high G-force turns and acrobatic manoeuvres in order to complete the circuit in the shortest possible time.

It’s a combination of speed, precision, and piloting technique that makes these races like not other on the planet. It is a race against time, and whoever makes it round the circuit in the shortest time is the winner. Since the skill level is so high, races are often won or lost by hundredths or even thousandths of a second.

We take part in eight races each year, in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, and venues in Europe and the United States. There are six people on my team (small but highly efficient), and apart from the competitions themselves, we have to spend a lot of time training, working on improvements to the aircraft, studying the circuits, developing race tactics, meeting with sponsors, and making exhibition flights. This takes a lot of time, but the flexibility in work schedules that Iberia gives me makes it possible to combine racing with my regular job as airline pilot.

Thus I’m lucky enough to engage in two very different but complementary facets of aviation. The flight of a 240-tonne Airbus that crosses the globe at 900 km/h at an altitude of 10 km is based on the rigorous execution of procedures while using super-advanced technology to ensure safety, efficiency, and the comfort of our passengers. By contrast, racing in a 600 kg. airplane is based entirely on the sensations the aircraft is transmitting to you. The connection between man and machine couldn’t be closer, and you fly almost by instinct, without needing to look at your instruments.

They are two very different ways of flying, but each way supplies experience that can be applied to the other. Racing gives me technique and training in manual flying which makes me a better pilot of the A330, and by-the-book flying for Iberia gives me the mental structure that helps me to race safely and with the most efficient procedures..

This combination of experience together with the painstaking work of my racing team is now bearing fruit, and you can see it in our results, by checking out the Red Bull Air Race at https://airrace.redbull.com or our team’s website with all the latest news, developments, and videos: www.juanvelarde26.es.

By the way, this weekend we participate in Menorca Air Show. "