Winning Will Provide Lift for American Coleman to Fly into Master Class
October 05, 2018 | By Paul Kelly, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
American pilot Kevin Coleman is in his third season in the Challenger Class of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, honing his skills as he aims to reach the Master Class.
Reaching the elite level of the world’s most prestigious air racing series can be a lengthy process for pilots even more experienced than Coleman, who at age 28 is the youngest competitor in either class of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship.
But Coleman knows there is a fast track to climbing to the Master Class – winning.
“Right now, I’m just focused on winning races and building my skills,” Coleman said. “That’s the biggest thing, just being able to win races, contend for championships and being on the podium consistently is what we need to keep doing to make sure that goal becomes reality.”
Coleman, from Coushatta, Louisiana, made indelible, successful marks on that blueprint with his victory Aug. 26 in Kazan, Russia. It was his first win this year and third career victory, with one win in each of his three seasons.
Louisiana Tech graduate Coleman is sixth in the Challenger Class standings with 16 points, but that total is a bit deceptive. Challenger Class pilots don’t fly in every event of the season, so a strong performance Oct. 6-7 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway could help Coleman climb the standings and secure a spot among the six pilots who will race for the Challenger Cup in the season finale Nov. 17-18 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Coleman always has been an aviation prodigy. He comes from a family of air show pilots and started flying and taking aerobatic lessons at age 10, taught by American aviation legend and Aerobatic Hall of Fame member Marion Cole.
At age 16, Coleman was flying solo. He earned his private pilot license and commercial license by age 18.
Success also came quickly in competition. Coleman was recognized as the highest-placing first-time sportsman at the 2007 U.S. Aerobatic Championship at age 17, and he clinched third place in the Intermediate category of the competition the next year.
Coleman climbed to the Red Bull Air Race Challenger Class in 2016. He turned heads by debuting with four consecutive podium finishes, including his first victory at the United Kingdom’s legendary Ascot Racecourse. Coleman ended up third in the season standings and followed with three podium finishes last year, including a victory at Porto, Portugal.
Those results will help Coleman stay on a steady climb toward the Master Class. So will continuing to seek and heed advice from his friends and fellow Americans in the series, veteran Master Class pilots Kirby Chambliss and Michael Goulian. Chambliss is a two-time World Champion and the winningest active pilot in the series, and Goulian has one victory and is third in the Master Class standings this season.
“Kirby has been a big part of my success the first two years in my Red Bull Air Race career,” Coleman said. “Obviously, Michael Goulian has been a big part of that, also. Michael has helped me throughout my whole flying career. So it’s been nice to be able to rely on those two guys, who have been there from the beginning.”
This weekend Coleman will need to reverse a trend of disappointing results at IMS. He finished fourth at the inaugural IMS event in 2016 but ended up fifth last year after final positions were based on qualifying results, as the race was canceled due to high winds.
Still, Coleman has good vibes entering this race, and not just because it’s an event on home soil. The affable Coleman is a hardcore motorsports fan who watches every IndyCar Series and NASCAR Cup Series race on TV. He also attended the Indianapolis 500 for the first time this May.
So it’s a safe bet Coleman appreciates the history and prestige of IMS perhaps more than any pilot in the field this weekend.
“The first time we drove into the tunnel at IMS (in 2016), it was a surreal feeling,” Coleman said. “It’s a magical place. All of this heritage, people like A.J. Foyt and Jeff Gordon and all of these people who have won here.
“That feeling hasn’t changed. Every time I drive into the tunnel, it’s a surreal feeling that we get to race there. Hopefully this year we do better. We haven’t had the greatest success here the first two years. But we’ve learned from our mistakes, and hopefully we’ll come in and do well this year. We’re looking forward to it.”
Red Bull Air Race tickets are available at www.IMS.com. Children 15 and under are admitted free to general admission areas Saturday and Sunday when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder.
Global electronic music superstar Kaskade will perform Saturday at IMS, with opening acts Mielo and Hugh Jeffner. The show starts at 5:30 p.m. near the Red Bull Air Race Hangar Area. Visit IMS.com to purchase tickets.
A variety of World of Red Bull athletes will demonstrate their skills throughout the event weekend, both in the air and on the ground. Performers include Geoff Aaron (motorcycle trials riding), Aaron Colton (motorcycle street freestyle riding), Robbie Maddison (freestyle motocross with the SCSUNLIMITED team), Luke Aikins and Miles Daisher (Red Bull Air Force Skydive Team), Aaron Fitzgerald (The Flying Bulls aerobatic helicopter), Jim Peitz (aerobatic airplane) and Pal Takats (paragliding).