Red Bull Air Race Perth

Even if you're more of a coffee drinker and you aren't really into Red Bull energy drinks, you've got to at least give the company their proper respect for coming up with the Perth Air Race.

The race doesn't just take place in Perth Australia, but Perth is probably the place to go if you want to see the competition at its best. The contest has racers flying through inflatable pylons called "air gates", basically these big cones that force the pilots to perform incredible aerobatic maneuvres just to make the turns on time, creating an incredible show for the crowd.

The gates themselves are interesting. They're made to be breakaway, meaning that, should a pilot overshoot or undershoot the turn, and bump into the pylon, the pylon simply deflates and rips away. This means that, when you get those little snags, the pilot is in no real danger and can continue flying, without worrying about an accident thanks to getting caught on the air gate.

The race has been going since 2003, and it's become something of a tradition at this point. It's been going for nearly a decade, and each year draws a bigger crowd and wider television coverage, so it's something of an international motor sporting event.

If you're just now learning about the race, you'll want to have something to talk to the other fans about when you go to see it in person, so here's a list of the champions, by year, since the contest began.

Peter Besenyei, Hungary, in 2003. Kirby Chambliss, United States, in 2004. Mike Mangold, United States, in 2005. Chambliss again in 2006, Mangold again in 2008, and Paul Bonhomme, the first British champ, in 2009.

Of course there's more to the history of the sport than just a list of champions, but this should be enough for you to fake it. Do a little more reading and check out some youtube videos of their winning races if you really want to get serious about becoming a fan of the Red Bull Air Race World Championships.

In 2009, we saw the motor sport expanding with four new countries taking part. Japan, represented by Yoshihide Muroya, Matt Hall representing Australia, Peter McLeod from Canada, and Matthias Dolderer, from Germany. Unfortunately, none made first place on their initial run, but Dolderer did take a bronze that year.

Again, it's actually a world championship with races taking place all around the planet, but it's Perth where you'll see the gorgeous blue skies, fluffy white clouds and arid landscapes that make for a heck of an air show. This are pretty much Australia's signature: Nowhere do airplanes look more gorgeous.

If you're like most everyone else, you've been looking for an excuse to visit Australia... Well here it is! Next time you have some holiday time, see if you can line it up with the Red Bull air race in Perth. It's a great excuse to get out of town for a little while and see some really incredible racing while you're at it.