Goulian Grabs For Red Bull Gold

The famous U.S. aerobatics performer and air racer tries to wrap up the Red Bull Championship at the Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.

Michael Goulian of the United States performs during qualifying day at the seventh round of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, on October 6, 2018.

Over the past ten years the Red Bull Air Races have brought a level of mainstream attention to aviation for all the right reasons. Run on courses in the middle of city centers, pitting the world's best pilots against each other and bringing the sport down to near-ground level, the Red Bull races have attracted millions to the sport of air racing and, perhaps more importantly, to the world of aviation.

This year's race points leader is American Mike Goulian, whose aerobatic performances at airshows around the country and around the world are among the most spectacular there are. Goulian is trailed closely in the standings by Martin Å onka of the Czech Republic and Matt Hall from Australia. Every race this year has been won by one of these racers, so their lead in the standings is insurmountable. The question remains of the season's race wins, so no one else comes close. The only question is who will bring home the World Championship hardware on Sunday?

The biggest prize of the season so far went to Goulian last month when he finished atop the podium at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he, you know it, kissed the bricks of the iconic track, as so many legends of motor sports have done before him.

While Goulian seems poised to take home the season's number one ranking, the races are usually decided by split seconds and even the sin of flying a little too carefully can be the difference between winning and losing. Indeed, the winner at the Texas Motor Speedway is almost certain to the racer who went for it and made it happen.

Goulian's strategy: "We'll approach this race the same way we did the other seven. The only difference is that it's the last one, and we may come out with our first World Championship."

If you can't make it to the track, you can watch the air races live on NBC SN or at redbullairrace.com.

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