THUNDER BAY – The Red Bull Air Race Series will take to the skies in Las Vegas on October . There is a real Northwestern Ontario flair to the Red Bull Air Race with Pete McLeod who is originally from Red Lake Ontario.
In 2009, Pete McLeod of Red Lake, Ontario made history by becoming the youngest pilot and first Canadian to compete in the elite Red Bull Air Race World Championship.
Over two decades younger than the average pilot in the world championship, Pete turned heads and quickly earned the respect of his rivals with his impressively smooth and precise flying. His personality quickly made him a favourite with fans.
Pete’s 2009 rookie campaign was a development year as the Canadian built his team for long-term success. Entering the season with the heaviest and slowest plane in the field, Pete still managed to get the most out of his Edge 540 and gain valuable experience.
For the 2010 season, Pete and his team performed a massive overhaul on his Edge 540 aircraft. The overhaul was designed to strengthen the power to weight ratio, something that severely handicapped McLeod throughout the previous season.
What many of his rivals feared became a reality in the 2010 season. Equipped with a competitive aircraft and a year of experience in the world championship, Pete captured back-to-back 5th place finishes in the first two races of the season – Abu Dhabi and Perth. Pete would go on to capture another 5th place finish in New York City and never finish outside of the Top 10 in 2010. McLeod captured 33 world championship points in 2010, earning him 5th place overall. .
