Red Bull introduces wingsuit racing

Extreme sports could soon reach new heights after a group of pioneering wingsuit pilots took part in a death-defying first over the US skies.

The daredevil activity could soon have a legitimate competition after some of the world’s best wingsuit pilots competed in the first ever Red Bull Aces race.

Racing through the sky at nearly 300km/h, competitors jockeyed through a slalom-styled course at an altitude of 2,100m before deploying their parachutes at approximately 1,000m.

The competition was split into three days – practice, time-trial and finals – with pilots hooked up with GPS systems to track their speed, position and times.

Andy Farrington took top honours, out flying Noah Banson (USA) and Julian Boulle (South Africa).

“This is just amazing, cutting edge, and really the start of a revolution,” Farrington told redbull.com. “This is the way to hold a competition – you’re racing the people right next to you.

"It’s cut and dried; you either made the gate or you didn’t. You either finished ahead of the other guy or you didn’t. And you’re doing it all thousands of feet in the air.”