Red Bull Air Race is flying back to Abu Dhabi (Video)

The National -- The excitement of the Red Bull Air Race is barely a week away.

It means 13 of the world’s best pilots will be battling it out over the Abu Dhabi Corniche during the weekend of February 2 and 3.

Competing at speeds of 370kph, and overcoming forces of up to 10G, the pilots in the eight-race series make their 2018 debut in the capital.

This year’s international contest sees a new racing aircraft, the Edge 540 V2, and the return of the strong Great Britain team, lead by Ben Murphy, a former leader of the Red Arrows, the acrobatic display team of Britain’s Royal Air Force.

Competitors fly round an obstacle course, with penalties if they hit or fly outside the course marker pylons. The Red Bull series is due to end in November.