Following a decorated career as a RAAF combat fighter, Australia’s very own top gun pilot Matt Hall and his Matt Hall Racing Team will this year become the first Australian ever to compete in the Red Bull Air Race Series, the fastest and most exciting sport on the planet.

Using the fastest, most agile and lightweight racing planes, Red Bull Air Race pilots navigate a low-level aerial race track made up of air-filled pylons, reaching speeds of 370 kilometres per hour while withstanding forces of up to 12 G’s. Touching down in seven cities worldwide in 2009, each Red Bull Air Race is unique. From the heart of the city to the open countryside, over land or water, a Red Bull Air Race can take place almost anywhere. Spectacular backdrops and jaw-dropping action guarantee that spectators experience one of the most innovative and exciting new sports competitions around today.

Hall is a highly decorated and skilled pilot with over 1500 Hornet hours, 500 hours in the F-15E Strike Eagle (including combat), over 700 hours in light aircraft and over 500 hours doing aerobatics. Now a Wing Commander, Hall was awarded dux of his Fighter Combat Instructor Course -Top Gun (1999), F/A-18 Hornet Operational Conversion Course (1995), Basic Fighter Pilot Course (1994) and Wings course (1992) and was also awarded Fighter Pilot of the Year in 1997. He has Represented Australia as a United States Air Force (USAF) exchange officer in North Carolina, USA, instructed F-15E aircrew attending USAF Weapons School and briefed Australian Embassy staff at Washington annually on accomplishments and recommendations for future RAAF operations. Hall was also awarded Air Medal and Air Medal First Oak leaf cluster for operational service in Iraq.

A highly self disciplined individual, Hall is respected for his ability to communicate with people at all levels and is greatly admired for his focus under pressure and leadership qualities. He is an outstanding motivator and is a popular public speaker, mentor and role model. Hall has represented Australia for most of his life in the Royal Australian Air Force, one of the highest honours any Australian can aspire to. And now he will get a chance to represent Australia in sport, a fantastic story for a very proud Aussie.