The Aviation Magazine Volume 7, Issue 1 #40 Jan-Feb 2016 | Page 32
© 2015 Joerg Mitter /Red Bull Content Pool
© 2015 Predrag Vuckovic /Red Bull Content Pool
© 2015 Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
Hungary’s Peter Besenyei, one of the most successful pilots in the history of the Red Bull Air Race with
eight career victories, announced on Sunday that he was retiring from the sport he helped develop in
2003. Besenyei, 59, won the title in the inaugural season in 2003 and has been a driving force behind
its growth through his 10 seasons of high‐speed, low‐altitude racing.
“I've been flying for a long time, since the very beginning of the Red Bull Air Race, and I made a deci‐
sion a few days ago that this will be my last season," said Besenyei, a fierce competitor who had a to‐
tal of 22 podiums in the sport he helped go from an idea into the world's fastest motorsport series
with planes racing at up to 370 km/h in front of enthusiastic crowds at locations around the world.
"I'll be more focused on my family and spending more time with my family and flying more air
shows."
Besenyei completed all ten seasons and ended his sterling career after his 66th race at the end of the
2015 season. One of Hungary’s most famous athletes, Besenyei was a driving force in the sport
throughout his career. He was one of the founding fathers who helped develop the concept of the
Red Bull Air Race. Besenyei gained worldwide fame in 2001 for flying upside down under t p