DJ Dame will perform a special set to cue the pilots during their aerobatic flying under the Erasmusbrug in Rotterdam.

Everyone knows what aerobatic flying is. Most people have also seen a ski slalom and are familiar with auto racing. Air Race is, to a certain extent, a combination of these three disciplines.

Imagine a large, rectangular area that is 1400 by 400 meters. Within these boundaries are mounted several pairs of 19-meter-high, white air-filled pylons, with each pair spaced 10 to 14 meters apart. These are the gates, and it's the pilots' job to fly between them. It's all about speed, of course: the fastest plane wins. The demands that the Air Race places on the competitors' flying skills are extreme, because various figures must be flown between the gates. The Red Bull Air Race is the epitome of aerobatic flying.

The Red Bull Air Race was invented and developed in 2003 by the Hungarian World Aerobatics Champion Peter Besenyei. Airplane races, however, have their roots in the US where pilots have been competing in air races since 1909. In American-style air races, there is only one objective: speed. The pilots fly a predetermined distance and then turn around. In general, the one with the fastest plane wins, which makes the event rather one-dimensional.

It was apparent to Peter Besenyei that the Air Race needed an aerobatics component. So he devised gates for the course, which the pilots have to fly through. And he also stipulated that certain aerobatics figures must be executed between the gates. The result: at the Red Bull Air Race, the winner is the fastest pilot who is also the best aerobatic pilot