The races are held mainly over water near cities, but also at airfields or natural wonders. They are accompanied by a supporting program of show flights. Races are usually flown on weekends with the first day for qualification then finals the day after. The events attract large crowds and are broadcast, both live and taped, in many nations.

At each venue, the top nine places earn World Championship points. The air racer with the most points at the end of the Championship becomes Red Bull Air Race World Champion. The 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 series were won respectively by the American pilots Mike Mangold, Kirby Chambliss, Mangold again and Hannes Arch from Austria.

Four new pilots from four countries will join the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in 2009: Canada’s Pete McLeod, Japan’s Yoshihide Muroya, Australia’s Matt Hall and Germany’s Matthias Dolderer.

History
Back in 2001, there was an idea to merge flying with the most exciting elements of motor racing. Seven years later, the Red Bull Air Race, in its current form, already goes well beyond this vision.

The Red Bull Air Race was conceived in 2001 in the Red Bull sports think-tank which has been responsible for creating a wide range of innovative sports events across the world. The aim was to develop a brand new aviation race that would challenge the ability of the world’s best pilots, creating a race in the sky that was not simply about speed, but also precision and skill. The answer was to build a specially designed obstacle course which the pilots would navigate at high speeds. Development of the prototypes of what are now known as the ‘Air Gates’ began in 2002 and renowned Hungarian pilot Péter Besenyei successfully completed the first test flight through them. After two years in planning and development, the first official Red Bull Air Race was ready to take off in Zeltweg, Austria in 2003. A second was staged the same year near Budapest in Hungary.

In 2004 three races took place in Kemble (England), Budapest (Hungary) and Reno (USA). It was time to shift up a gear and the very first Red Bull Air Race World Series was launched in 2005. Ten pilots battled it out in seven riveting races around the world – Mike Mangold was crowned the champion with Peter Besenyei and Kirby Chambliss in second and third place respectively. Eight races took place in 2006 with 11 pilots competing. This time it was Kirby Chambliss who won the title. In 2007 the calendar was extended to include ten races with the first race on South American soil taking place in Rio de Janeiro. Mike Mangold reclaimed the title of Red Bull Air Race World Champion 2007. - source Wikipedia