Defending Champions
The season started with belief.
Winning the 2025 Air Race X Championship changed the way Team 77 prepared for 2026. The team worked on strategy, weather modelling and tools that could give them an edge in a sport where small margins matter.
New Partner
Emotive joined as main sponsor.
On the back of the 2025 championship win, Emotive became Team 77’s formal main sponsor for the 2026 ARX season. With the sponsor in place, the aircraft prepared, the smoke system working and the new ARX GDU camera process briefed, Race 1 looked under control.
Then Red Bull One was grounded in Upington.
The First Problem
The GameBird was stuck.
Eighteen days before Race 1, Red Bull One was grounded in Upington by DOT/ACSA. What started as an inconvenience quickly became a legal fight. Patrick left the aircraft behind and returned home while the lawyers worked to get it released.
Flood Week
Then the weather turned.
Five days before the race, the rain started. Four days out, it was flooding. News reports called it a 100-year flood. Roads washed away, schools closed, farms were damaged and aircraft were seen floating away after rivers broke their banks.
“We had three days to compete,
not the full seven.”
Race Thursday
A muddy start line.
Greg left for Grahamstown to prepare the track, set up the weather station and assess the field. The land was waterlogged and muddy. Getting stuck could cost valuable flying time. Patrick still had to get the Edge out of a wet grass runway without damaging the low wheel spats.
Practice
The numbers were everywhere.
Practice 1 produced inconsistent runs. The weather after the storm made reliable prediction difficult. Greg reviewed the conditions and Team 77 requested a track swing to a 320-degree heading. Practice 2 was so inconsistent the data was not even uploaded.
Day Two
Consistency appeared. Then the Gs arrived.
Practice 3 finally showed more consistent 65-second runs. Practice 4 delivered a 66.4 and 65.3, followed by an over-G that forced the team to land. Practice 5 still lacked the consistency they needed.
Final Day
No more time. No more options.
The courier delay meant Patrick still did not have his normal parachute. The old parachute was heavy and uncomfortable. Practice 6 produced a 64.929 and 64.995 before another over-G. Practice 7 gave a 64.328, then another over-G.
Three over-Gs. Weather moving. Last day to fly. No choice but to race.
Official Race 1 Result
Points Secured.
AIR RACE X 2026
Qualifying
4th
Race Result
Semi-Final
Knocked out by Martin Šonka
Championship
12 Points
A difficult opening round, but Team 77 left Race 1 with championship points on the board and three races still to come.
Still Racing
Race 1 was tough.
Team 77 flew as fast as they could and came away with 12 championship points. With three races left, there was still a lot that could go right. Race 2 was just around the corner, and the team would be prepared.
Grounded. Flooded. Rushed. Uncomfortable. Still racing.