News & Press Release
Weathernews Provides Weather Support for 2016 Red Bull Air Race Chiba
Go/No-Go Decision Support for the World’s Fastest Motor Sport at 370km/h
Sports Festival >Weathernews Inc. (Chiba, Japan; CEO: Chihito Kusabiraki) provided weather outlooks for the 2016 Red Bull Air Race held on the weekend of June 4th and 5th at Makuhari Beach in Chiba, Japan. Weathernews provided weather information to the Red Bull Air Race Committee during their planning stages to help set the venue and timing of the event. In addition, on the days of the race itself, the Weathernews Sports Weather Team also provided Go/No-Go decision support on whether or not the races could be safely held. Weathernews will continue to provide weather support to Red Bull Japan in the planning, operation and decision making of their various events.
Weather Support for the 2016 Red Bull Air Race
Starting a year before the event, Weathernews studied the meteorological characteristics of the proposed venue, including wind, waves, start of the rainy season and the risk of tropical cyclones, and the results of this analysis were used in determining the ideal timing of the races. A week before the event, information such as weather, temperature, wind and waves was provided and utilized in setting up the course. On the day of the race, the Sports Weather Team provided support from Urayasu Airport on Go/No-Go decisions for the races (including steady flight operations for Medevac helicopters and safety of offshore pylon setting operations) and from Makuhari Kaihin Park to protect the safety of the spectators and the event staff.
Qualifying Race Cancelled Due to Strong Winds and Rough Seas
The Red Bull Air Race Japan Committee had determined that the 2.5 meter waves were not suitable for safe operations, and decided to postpone the qualifying race scheduled for 4:00 PM. The weather was expected to improve by the 5th and the finals were held as scheduled.
Appreciation from Red Bull Air Race Japan Committee:
Unlike any other sporting event, the Red Bull Air Race 2016 involves land, sea and air weather factors, which makes decisions extremely difficult. The weather conditions this year were unstable, but we were able to take the information provided by Weathernews into serious consideration and we were able to respond appropriately by suspending the qualifying races on the first day. There were some voices of concern about bad weather on the final day of the event, but based on the forecast that conditions would improve from the morning, we were optimistic about holding not only the air race but the side acts as well. Thank you for the accurate information!
Forecasting Weather of the Final Race on a Dedicated Site
On Saturday, June 4th, Weathernews launched a dedicated website with weather content for the 2016 Red Bull Air Race. The content was also made available on Weathernews’ smartphone app, Weathernews Touch. The content of the site includes weather information on spectator spots at the qualifying and final races, plus comments from the Red Bull Air Race Committee.