Team Bandit Racing joined Air Race E as an opportunity to show the world their capabilities in electric drive, design, light-weighting and battery technology by combining the known and proven skillsets of motorsport and aviation.
Background in Air Racing and aviation
Martin Rees – CEO & Team Principal: His design career began in aerospace with the Westland Aircraft group and his dedication to applying electric drive technology to aircraft stems from over 2 decades in developing electric vehicles for road and race.
Tim Manna (Kennet Aviation) – Joint Team Principal: Dedicated to advancing leading edge technologies in electric drive, lightweight environmentally sustainable materials and technologically advanced manufacturing processes.
Having restored over 14 aircraft and operated 25, from Chipmunk to Seafire, to Hunter F6A. Kennet Aviation has been displaying its aircraft on the UK and European Air Show circuit since 1992. Kennet has the facilities and approvals to build and maintain aircraft, from pre-war to today’s and future designs, including electric powered flight.
“We are a unique combination of motorsport practices, racing passion and technological excellence borne from many decades of commitment to engineering excellence and ground-breaking design.” – Team Bandit Racing
Explain us about your team and airplane name
The team name stems from the new Berkeley Bandit sportscar by Berkeley Industries, that is launching in 2021. The name of the aircraft will be The Berkeley Bullet.
At what stage of development are you at and where will you build/test your plane?
The team is based at the joint facilities of Berkeley Sportscars and Kennet Aviation in Old Warden Aerodrome, Bedfordshire. The team is formed and the design work on the aircraft is well advanced, we anticipate first build in Spring 2021.
How important is electric flight to the future of aviation?
Electric drive technology is already a vital development for the advancement of sustainable and environmentally sound flight. Our intention is to utilise the combined resources and capabilities of Kennet Aviation and Berkeley Industries to support the Air Race E series to become the leading technology platform for future development in this field.
Air Race E is bringing innovation and spectacle together in one exciting and exhilarating series!