Hello everyone! Suwabe here, a member of the Red Bull Air Race executive committee! (@rbar_jp_gsc)

The Red Bull Air Race 2016 Chiba is now just nine days away! Just like last year, Good Smile Company is a member of the executive committee for the event! Today I’m going to be taking over the blog to introduce everyone to the event!! (/・ω・)/

The Red Bull Air Race Chiba 2016 !

RED BULL AIR RACE CHIBA 2016

– Date –

Qualifier: 4th June 2016
Finals: 5th June 2016

※No postponement for rain, but may be cancelled in stormy weather.
※The schedule may be subject to change.

– Times –

Opens: 10:00 / Race Start: 13:00 / Race End: 16:00

– Location –

Makuharikaihin Prefectural Park

– Content –

Official World Championship recognised by The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). World’s top-class 14 pilots will take part in this race which is the 3rd stop of 8 races across the world.

– Organization –

Red Bull Air Race Executive Committee
(Good Smile Company, Lawson HMW Entertainment, Zepp Live, Air Race Japan)

– Special Support –

Chiba City, Urayasu

– Sponsors –

The Austrian Embassy, Chiba Prefectural Government, Red Bull Air Race Chiba Support Association

– National Partners –

FALKEN, AVIREX, JTB, LEXUS, XFLAG

– Global Partners –

BREITLING, DHL

You can see the reports of last year’s race here!

Red Bull Air Race Chiba 2015 Report #1: Makuhari Event
Red Bull Air Race Chiba 2015 Report #2: Urayasu Hanger

◎ Buy Tickets!

In order to get into the event you need to buy tickets before hand! There are various different areas all with different price tags!

|дﾟ) Note that you can’t get into the event without a ticket!

The tickets cover six different areas and come in three different types: 2 DAYS/1DAY (Qualifier) /1DAY (Finals). A lot of ticket types have already sold out, but there are still other types available, so those who are still interested in going to the event be sure to take a look at the ticket sales page here: http://rbar.jp/en/ticket.html

(ΦωΦ)／ Personally I think the Qualifier B Area for Photographers looks interesting! You can easily see the full course for all sorts of photos!

◎ Make Preparations!

(੭ु´･ω･`)੭ु⁾ Preparing before you go to the event will make it all the more enjoyable!

★ How the Race Works

The pilots all race through the course set out with pylons, avoiding penalties while aiming for the fastest time. The same pilots take part in each of the eight race venues and receive points based on their performance in each race. The pilot with the most points at the end is crowned the champion! The Chiba race is the third race, and the scores at this point after the first two races are as follows…

More About Each Pilot can be Found Here:
http://www.redbullairrace.com/en_US/pilots

(ΦωΦ)／ Japan’s Yoshihide Muroya is currently in 11th place!
I hope his homeland will provide him with a good 3rd race!! ＼(ΦωΦ)

▲ Yoshihide Muroya at Fukushima’s Air Show!

Below is the racetrack layout for the Chiba race! I can’t wait to see the planes flying through it!

( ˘ω˘ )／ The Start/Finish line is just in front of the B Area!

You’ll be able to see the results right in front of you!! The family area has a nice rise for the planes which should also be amazing to see and hear up close!

★ About the Venue

Before heading out to the venue be sure to confirm the rule of the venue! I a lot of questions have been answered over on the FAQs – Race page!

Other than the lounge tickers with a parking ticket included, there is no parking available, so it’s recommended to use public transport to get the event venue! The closest station is Kaihim Makuhari station, and the QVC Marine Field bus leaving from the south exit will be running from 09:00 to 13:30 on the day of the race, so it should be easy to get there! Note that the access gate depends on your type of ticket, so be sure to confirm that ahead of time! (`・ω・´)

◎ Buy Goodies!

There are lots of T-shirts, towels and other goodies to remember the event by on sale at the event! They will also be useful to have at the event, so I’m looking forward to picking them up!

( ;∀;) “I always end up buying way too much without thinking…!” ・・

The sales list of official goods at the event has been revealed! A total of 49 different items to choose from!

▲ The Chiba Limited goods were designed by Good Smile Company staff!

(ΦωΦ)／ Buying too many items at the event might make it hard to carry them home!

There will also be a sales site to purchase them ahead of time if you’d rather not carry them around with you at the event! You can see the full line-up on the following site: http://event.goodsmile.info/rbar_gsc/product/ (Japanese)

Sales areas will be in all the different areas, but certain items may not be available in certain areas! Keep your eyes on this Twitter account for sales information: @rbar_jp_gsc!

◎ Enjoy the Side Acts!

The Makuharikaihin Prefectural Park has various side acts going on between races in the air, on land and at sea!

(*’▽’)／ Enjoy a relaxing time watching the side acts while you’re waiting for the next race to start!

FMX, PARKOUR, JET DECK, STREET SESSION STAGE and more will all be performing some amazing looking acts!

You can find out more about the acts here: http://rbar.jp/info160502.html

Plus there will also be this special event by the national partner XFLAG….

XFLAG™ presents Pylon Strike!

Normally hitting the pylons in a race lowers your points… but this side act will instead have the planes heading straight for the pylons?!

(; ･`д･´) I can’t really picture how it will turn out… which makes me really look forward to seeing it!

◎ Foot Court!

Around 80 different stalls are planned to be open at the event! This photo is from last year’s race!

Enjoy Taco rice, roast beef and rice, Okinawan soba noodles, Hakata fried chicken, Fujinomiya yakisoba, octopus balls, eel and many more popular Japanese meals! There are also all kinds of snacks such as mango shaved ice, shaved frozen strawberries, churros and crepes! In addition there will also be standard well known stores like Pizza-La, Yoshinoya, Coco Ichibanya and Lawson! (*’▽’)

(/・ω・)/ I have no idea what I’ll end up picking to eat! There is too much to choose from!! But that’s one of the fun things about the event!

◎ Meet the Race Queens!

The very first Air Race Queens to make the Red Bull Air Race even more exciting!! Four lovely image girls as sort of mascots for the event, as well as 14 cheerleaders that will be cheering on the pilots for the races!!

( ♡∀♡)／ Plus some of you may know two of the four image girls!

They are also part of the Racing Miku Race Queen team!

Noa Mizutani & Tsukasa Arai!

Votes for the best of the 14 cheerleaders are currently going on online, and these results will be combined with votes on the day to decide the ‘Princess of the Sky’ – The Air Race Queen Champion! The winner will be announced on the day of the finals right at the event!