The Red Bull Air Race World Championships 2016 reaches its peak this weekend with an action-packed competition in Las Vegas.

Billed as the ‘entertainment capital of the world’ Las Vegas is hosting the competition at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway from 15-16 October.

Matthias Dolderer (GER) has done enough to win the World Championship title – the first pilot ever to clinch the win before the end of the season – but with everything to gain and nothing to lose, the rest of the field will be flying flat-out to gain points and places.

Only 7.5 points separate the six pilots in fourth through ninth place overall, which means the hottest competition is the race for third place.

Almost without a doubt no one wants it more than the man currently at fourth in the standings: Great Britain’s Nigel Lamb. The 2014 Red Bull Air Race World Champion will be retiring after this weekend, so he will be keen to put in a standout performance.

Suspense will be strong in the Challenger Class race, too, where pilots from a half-dozen countries will vie in the Challenger Cup.

The Challenger Cup is the gateway class for pilots who want to fly in the Master Class of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship.

Follow the race live online at www.redbullairrace.com

Photo: Matthias Dolderer (GER) and Martin Sonka (CZE) above Horseshoe Bend, Arizona ahead of the Red Bull Air Race in Las Vegas. Credit: Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool