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AIR RACE X 2026 Series, Race 2 official results

In the semifinal, Muroya beats long-time rival Martin Sonka; in the final, he holds off 2025 champion Patrick Davidson in a head-to-head duel.

2026 Series Race 2 Top 3 graphic with photos of winner Yoshihide Muroya flanked by second-place Patrick Davidson and third-place Martin Šonka

Race 2 of the AIR RACE X 2026 series took place on Sunday, July 19, and from qualifying through to the final race not a moment allowed anyone to look away. Four storylines collided – the breakout star of the season opener, last year’s series champion, and two long-time rivals. The pilot who came out on top was Japan’s Yoshihide Muroya (LEXUS PATHFINDER AIR RACING), fighting back after a third-place finish in Race 1.

Watch Race 2 in full on the official YouTube channel.

Watch the race on the official AIR RACE X

Qualifying | a result that hinted at the upsets to come

Muroya topped qualifying, followed by Race 1’s breakout winner Aarron Deliu (Australia) and European powerhouse Martin Sonka (Czech Republic). With Deliu looking to carry his opening-race momentum into the series standings, and 2025 champion Patrick Davidson eager for redemption, both pilots were already inside the top tier heading into the final race, a result that raised expectations even further.

Aarron Deliu standing beside his aircraft on the tarmac at dusk

Race 2 Qualifying results table listing pilots by nation and team

Semifinals | a champion’s resolve and a long-awaited rematch

Semifinal A: Patrick Davidson vs. Aarron Deliu

Reigning 2025 champion Davidson faced Deliu, who had just taken his first win in the season opener in only his second year in AIR RACE X. Still smarting from a fourth-place finish after losing the Race 1 third-place match to Muroya, Davidson brought the full weight of his experience to bear and advanced to the final - a result that showed exactly why he’s the reigning champion.

Semifinal B: Yoshihide Muroya vs. Martin Sonka

Semifinal B was personal, Sonka, who finished second in the Race 1 has raced Muroya since their former Red Bull Air Race days, and their head-to-heads have always drawn attention. After a back-and-forth battle that gave no ground, Muroya came out on top by the narrowest of margins - beating his old rival.

Race aircraft trailing white smoke as it banks over forested mountains

Semi-final bracket graphic showing Patrick Davidson vs Aarron Deliu in Heat A and Yoshihide Muroya vs Martin Šonka in Heat B, advancing to the Final

Third-place match | Sonka vs Deliu

Deliu and Sonka met in the third-place match. The rematch between Race 1’s two breakout stars stayed tight to the very end. Drawing on his former Red Bull Air Race experience Sonka flew a composed run to take third. Deliu finished fourth, the result confirmed that in just his second season, he’s already one of the series’ key players.

Martin Šonka seated in his open cockpit on the grass, adjusting his radio before flying

Final | Muroya wins

The final pitted 2025 series champion Davidson against on form Muroya, who led throughout the race and despite a one-second smoke penalty held on to win. It capped a remarkable turnaround from his third-place finish in the Race 1 and delivered him the Race 2 title.

Race 2 result standings table led by Yoshihide Muroya's LEXUS PATHFINDER AIR RACING team

Top 3 pilot comments

1st | Yoshihide Muroya (Japan)

After the disappointment of finishing third in the opener, I went back to basics with my tactician and rebuilt my flying from the ground up. I think what made the difference this time was really honing my gate entry angles, how I build my turns, and a new turning technique we brought in.

The final came down to the wire right to the end, all the work the team has put in paid off, and we were able to turn it into a win. That said, the series is still long. I’m not going to be satisfied with one win - we’ll keep sharpening our precision and preparing to deliver a stable performance.

Yoshihide Muroya's Lexus Pathfinder Air Racing team gathered around his aircraft in the hangar

2nd | Patrick Davidson (South Africa)

Race two for me was quite a tricky one. We were fast, but we weren't consistent. The track itself was also quite difficult, so race one and two for me was quite demanding. There were a lot of hard Big G turns. The smallest margin pushed the times out drastically. So to get it so consistent all the time was, for me anyway, was virtually impossible.

I think we did well to sort of stay so close to Yoshi. I can only hope that we can maintain the sort of momentum going forward.

Patrick Davidson seated in his cockpit, helmet on, talking with a team member on the tarmac

3rd | Martin Sonka (Czech Republic)

I felt good because this time we were lucky with the weather.
We had more or less calm winds and just very slight
headwind for the track entry and it　makes the whole thing actually,
you know, that makes the race.
We were not that happy or lucky with the other races so
that changes everything.

AIR RACE X series championship wide open

1st: Yoshihide Muroya - jumps to the top of the series from third in the opener

2nd: Aarron Deliu - the second-year breakout star keeps his opening-race momentum going

3rd: Martin Sonka - the former Red Bull Air Race pilot with the experience to match

4th: Patrick Davidson - AIR RACE X 2025 champion, unable to build on his fourth-place opener

The order has shifted dramatically since the end of Race 1 and the season is shaping up to be a battle with several contenders. A rising star’s breakthrough, a former champion’s comeback bid, and a long-standing rivalry renewed - Race 2 turned out to be essential viewing. Eight points separate first and second in the series standings, Race 3 is pivotal.

Race 3 of the 2026 series streams Sunday, August 16, from 21:00 JST on the official AIR RACE X YouTube channel.