“I’ve been flying good all year. We’ve already finished our crying so now we gotta laugh,” says Chambliss, philosophical despite sitting in 10th position in the championship at the halfway stage. “It’s been frustrating having a slow horse but 283hp is what we had and that’s 50hp down from the players. If you’re that far down then you’re not gonna make it back up. We want to win some races and that’s what it’s about now. It’s a face-saving thing and I think we’re definitely capable of that now. ”
 

Topping the timesheets in yesterday's training sessions with the only sub 1:10 clean performance of the day, Chambliss has seen the biggest improvement and after months of waiting, the arrival of a new engine may be his ticket to the podium in Windsor.
 

“That 1:09 was pretty wild!” he admitted when asked about the stunning result. The pilot also said it may be tough to duplicate a time like that in Qualifying but seemed pleased to be back on top. But has the long wait for a new engine scuppered any chances of a second world championship title?
 

“I’ve been pretty freaked out about it actually,” Chambliss confides. “We don’t have a chance now. It’s pretty much mathematically impossible for us to win. Everybody at the top would have to screw up and that’s not gonna happen.”
 

The new engine installation has not been without complication, however, as technical director Adrian Judd insisted that the new engine be overhauled in time for qualifying day. Mechanical testing identified that the compression ratio of Chambliss’ engine was too high, giving him a possible advantage over his fellow competitors. The Red Bull Air Race technical rules state all engines must register a 10:1 compression ratio and despite pre-race testing indicating the new engine was within the limits, it appears that Chambliss may be a shade over with readings measuring 11:1. The good news is that Kirby's technician Jason Resop was burning the midnight oil last night and succeeded in reducing Kirby's compression ratio to comply with the regulations.
 

Mangold had also invested in some serious technical improvements ahead of Windsor and showed promise in the training sessions although ended up in 8th position for Qualifying. Nonetheless, the weight reduction and enhanced performance gave the team plenty to feel positive about.
 

Technician Lance Winter has worked flat-out since the San Diego round last month to squeeze more power from the team’s Edge. The engine was removed and a problem with oil pressure resolved and a new exhaust and fuel servo were added. Lighter ‘wheelpants’ – which cover the wheels to create less drag – have also been included in the upgrade.
 

“We’ve lightened the plane up a bit – say 16lb since San Diego – and this will definitely make a difference. Things are running good and we’ve got serious oil pressure so we’re doing OK,” said Winter, pleased his hard work is paying off. “In our previous races we were losing pressure and our prop was running away from us as it’s controlled by the oil pressure.”
 

Although it was not a serious problem, it did mean the prop could overspeed and essentially work as a brake while in the air. With this rectified and the other improvements completed, spirits were high in the Mangold hangar.
 

“We’ve just got to get the track down and finish first! Mike’s got more to give and he’s an excellent pilot. I’m all positive,” added Winter.