Along the Douro
Race track marked along the Douro River, between the “Dom Luís the First” Bridge and the “Massarelos” Viaduct.
Air Race Championship presented a Demo Air Race over the Douro River, bringing audiences closer to the pilots, aircraft and technical world of air racing. The Porto Showcase marked an important milestone in Air Race Championship’s development and demonstrated the potential of air racing in an iconic urban setting.
Indicators reported by ARC
The validated Porto 2026 course: chicane pylons, dual buoys, the air gate and three timers, laid out on the Douro between the Dom Luís I Bridge and the Massarelos Viaduct.
Porto 2026 · Douro riverRace track marked along the Douro River, between the “Dom Luís the First” Bridge and the “Massarelos” Viaduct.
Vilar de Luz Aerodrome (LPVL) serves as the operational base, providing hangar facilities and the start/finish point.
Spectators follow the race from both riverbanks — Cais de Gaia and Ribeira do Porto.
On the Vila Nova de Gaia bank, the Lounge gives pilots, families and guests an exceptional vantage point over the race, the river and Porto’s skyline.
After years of dormancy following the Red Bull Air Race, Porto drove the strongest global spike in air-racing search interest in years — comparable to the sport’s historical peaks.
Air Race Championship recognises the extraordinary contribution of Red Bull Air Race, which set the global benchmark for the sport and inspired a generation of pilots, teams and fans — many of whom fly in Air Race Championship today.
Source: Google search interest, worldwide
Petr
Martin
Juan
François
Dario
Daniel
NicolasPorto showed what air racing can do for a city. Explore the event formats, support model and destination opportunities — and start a conversation with our team.
