Three weeks to go before the Red Bull Air Race World Championship starts. After intensive preparations during off-season Matthias Dolderer is raring to go. The 39-years old German looks to continue his success in season opener in Abu Dhabi on March 27.

Tannheim – „I can hardly wait until season starts“, said a highly motivated Dolderer. „We’ve invested a lot of time and energy into the setup of the Edge during last months. Now, I just want to sit back in the cockpit, start the engine and go racing.“

Dolderer, who spent the off-season with intensive training in California (USA), has set his sights for the upcoming season clearly on topping last year’s results. This will not be an easy task as Dolderer had a sensational run in his first year as a Red Bull Air Race pilot in 2009. He scored more championship points (22) in the second half of the season than anyone else – except world champion Bonhomme and runner-up Arch - to thoroughly shake up the race hierarchy.

Whether Matthias can build on his success also in 2010 will not only depend on the human factor, but also on the performance of his Edge 540. „I can’t assess its performance in comparison to my competitors right now. We installed a new engine which has lot more horsepower than the old one, but the aerodynamical modifications didn’t make an impact so far“, explained Dolderer, adding: „Overall it should work out. We’ll know more in Abu Dhabi after first qualifying round at the latest.“

The race plane will be transported from the training camp in US directly to Abu Dhabi. Dolderer himself will arrive in the capital of the United Arab Emirates ten days before to the race to fine-tune the Edge and prepare himself for the battle. Dolderer will use the remaining period for intensive fitness training and team meetings.

Red Bull Air Race World Championship 2010:

01.    Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) – March 27, 2010
02.    Perth (Australia) – April 18, 2010
03.    Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) – May 9, 2010
04.    Windsor, Ontario (Canada) – June 6, 2010
05.    New York (USA) – June 20, 2010
06.    EuroSpeedway Lausitz (Germany) – August 8, 2010
07.    Budapest (Hungary) – August 20, 2010
08.    Lisbon (Portugal) – September 5, 2010