Red Bull Air Race World Champion

Matt Hall is the first and only Australian ever to win the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, achieving that feat in 2019 in his eighth and final season in the series. He placed third in his world championship racing debut in 2009 becoming the first rookie in history to make it to the podium. Matt has since accumulated seven wins and 25 podiums, making him the most successful air racing pilot in the modern era.

Former RAAF top gun fighter pilot and combat instructor

Prior to becoming a race pilot, Hall was a decorated serviceman in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), eventually retiring at the rank of wing commander. He is a third-generation pilot who flew solo in a glider at age 15, got his pilot’s license at 18, and has flown more than 8000 hours in various aircraft. 

He was named Fighter Pilot of the Year in 1997, became a fighter combat (Top Gun) instructor and flew in high-pressure combat in the Middle East while on exchange with the US Air Force. With USAF medals for heroism under fire in his F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet, Matt takes his audience into a world where the stakes are high and the margins are extremely slim.

From avoiding self-tracking missiles to negotiating pylons in the visually spectacular Red Bull Air Race, Hall has had an aviation and motorsport career like no other.

Matt Hall brings to life his fascinating story from humble beginnings to unimaginable goals. 

Career statistics

• Red Bull Air Race World Champion (2019) 7 race wins
• 25 race podiums 
• 30 podiums (including end of season podium finishes) 
• Red Bull Air Race World Championship third place (2009)
• 7 race wins
• 25 race podiums 
• 30 podiums (including end of season podium finishes) 

Interesting facts

• Scored points in every single race contested
• Only rookie in air race history to achieve championship podium position (3rd, 2009)
• Successfully performed a safe landing in his race plane after hitting the water and skimming across the surface (2010)
• Fighter pilot of the year 1997
• Former fighter combat (Top Gun) instructor
• Former Australian Advanced Aerobatic champion
• Recipient of Australian Bi-Centennial Award from the Honourable Company of Air Pilots for outstanding contribution to aviation