MANGOLD ON A MISSION

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American looks for another hot streak in European leg

Mike Mangold is hoping Europe will once again prove to be the tonic he needs to jump-start his campaign to defend his Red Bull Air Race World Series championship after Europe turned out to be a magic place for the American in 2007. He won three of the five European races last year and overtook Britain's Paul Bonhomme with victories in Istanbul, London and Budapest. The Californian, now in a three-way battle for second, five points behind Bonhomme, wants another winning streak to take him back on top when the World Series moves to the ‘Old World’ with the first of five European races in Rotterdam on 19 and 20 July. It is the perfect location for the American to get back into the battle - Mangold won the Rotterdam race when it was last held in the Dutch city in 2005. Bonhomme was back in seventh place.

‘I just want to win a race right now,’ said Mangold, a disappointing fourth in Detroit after getting second in San Diego and third in Abu Dhabi. Mangold has had a long dry spell ˜ six races without winning. That's hardly an inspiring performance for the winner of two of the last three championships. His last win was in Budapest in August and it's clear the losing streak is starting to eat away at the highly competitive former U.S. Air Force pilot. ‘My motivation is to win a race. What we have to do is start knocking Bonhomme off the top. Someone else has to start winning races consistently. I'm gonna step up and do the job if Kirby, Hannes and Peter can't do it. I've got to make the plane faster and beat him.’

Mangold said the advantage of racing in Europe - nine time zones east of his home in Victorville, California - is that he can concentrate on the race and not have to worry about anything else. ‘The good thing about getting away from home is that there is less distraction. In Europe, you can settle in and focus on racing.’