Muroya wins AIR RACE X Race 2 as Burns makes U.S. debut

Japan’s Yoshihide Muroya took Race 2 of AIR RACE X on July 19, beating reigning champion Patrick Davidson in the final and moving to the top of the 2026 standings. American airshow pilot Melissa Burns became the first U.S. pilot in the series, racing from Florida and finishing seventh.

Why it matters: - AIR RACE X Race 2 reshuffled the championship standings and tightened the title fight. - Yoshihide Muroya’s win moved him from third to first in the 2026 series. - Melissa Burns’ debut marked the first time an American pilot joined the series, expanding the championship’s U.S. footprint. - The series says eight points separate first and second heading into Race 3, making the next round pivotal.

What happened: - Race 2 of the AIR RACE X 2026 series ran on Sunday, July 19. - Japan’s Yoshihide Muroya won the event for LEXUS PATHFINDER AIR RACING. - Muroya beat reigning 2025 champion Patrick Davidson in the final. - Muroya advanced by defeating longtime rival Martin Sonka in the semifinal. - In the other semifinal, Davidson beat Aarron Deliu. - Burns flew her Race 2 session from Keystone Heights Airport in Florida. - Burns qualified eighth, lost to Muroya in the quarterfinals and finished seventh.

The details: - Muroya topped qualifying, followed by Deliu in second and Sonka in third. - Sonka finished third after beating Deliu in the third-place match. - Muroya led the final throughout and held on despite a one-second smoke penalty. - Burns was penalty-free in her run but did not advance. - Burns is one of four pilots now racing from the U.S., alongside Canadian Mike Tryggvason and Australians Aarron Deliu and Emma McDonald. - Burns has more than 20 years of airshow experience and flies an Edge 540. - In 2006, Burns became the youngest female pilot selected for the United States Unlimited Aerobatic Team at age 22. - Burns competed at the Unlimited world level for 10 years. - Burns finished third at the 2015 World Aerobatic Championships. - Burns also won the women’s world title in wingsuit racing in 2015. - The series released the full Race 2 broadcast on its official YouTube channel: Watch Race 2 in full.

Between the lines: - Muroya’s win looked like a rebound after his third-place finish in Race 1. - Davidson’s run suggested the reigning champion is still in range even when the track is difficult and consistency is hard to find. - Sonka’s third-place finish showed that experience still matters in tight head-to-head races. - Burns’ result showed progress from the opener, but the move from airshows to head-to-head racing remains a steep adjustment. - The distributed format continues to let pilots race from home bases, which is part of AIR RACE X’s sustainability pitch.

What’s next: - Race 3 streams Sunday, August 16, at 21:00 JST, which is 8:00 a.m. EDT and 5:00 a.m. PDT. - The official AIR RACE X YouTube channel will carry the next race. - The series enters Race 3 with several contenders still in contention and a narrow gap at the top.

The bottom line: - Muroya left Race 2 with the win and the lead, but the championship remains wide open.