THE RED Bull air race over the river Douro in Porto, which ended on Saturday, attracted record crowds for an event staged in Portugal.
Around 600,000 people watched the racing over several days, with British pilot Steve Jones finishing top of the pack.
A spokesman for the organisers said: “Our expectations were reached, if not exceeded,” adding: “We are aware that there were over half a million people present and the venue was filled to capacity.”
No major incidents occurred during the event, although 120 people complained of being unwell as the temperatures soared. Two people needed hospital treatment.
“After so much confusion, it was proven that the emergency plan was adequate” said the spokesman.
The competition was very strong during the last day of the air race as the eight places for the quarter finals were disputed.
The first race of the day eliminated four pilots from the running, Arch Hannes, Sergey Rakmanin, Frank Versteegh and Michael Goulian.
The remaining pilots then competed head to head to determine who could complete the course in the best time for places in the semi-finals and final.
At the end of the day, Steve Jones finished as the surprise winner of the Porto Red Bull Air Race.
Despite this, he will not be in the running for the World Series 2007 title, which is led by American pilot Mike Mangold.
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