Bonhomme and Jones make the podium in Rotterdam Air Race
STEVE Jones took his first podium finish of the 2008 world series alongside current series leader and British pilot Paul Bonhomme at yesterday’s Rotterdam race.“I’m on the podium for the first time this season and it is long overdue,” said Jones, noting that extra practice time last week had paid off.”We have got the plane going well and I have done some practice. It was the worst start to the season that I have had and we were caught napping over the winter in terms of planes. We didn’t have as much practice as I would have hoped. We have now rectified that and so I feel more at home in the plane. This is good preparation for London but London is a different course than this.”American challengers Kirby Chambliss and Mike Mangold lost crucial ground in the championship after both failed to make the podium in the Dutch port city.Bonhomme beat Austrian Hannes Arch with a time of 1:17.25 in the final after the Austrian could not finish his run because of a pylon hit. Arch was going all-out to beat Bonhomme but cut his line too close and hit an Air Gate on the first straight. He aborted his run after pylon material got caught briefly in his right wing.Next race is London 2-3 August.www.redbullairrace.com
