View source for Martin Šonka

{{Short description|Czech aviator}}
{{Infobox aviator
|name=Martin Šonka
|image=Red Bull Air Race Oporto 2017 - 36.jpg
|image_size=250px
|alt=Martin Šonka
|caption=
|full_name=
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1978|3|26|df=y}}
|birth_place=[[Dvůr Králové nad Labem]], [[Czechoslovakia]]
|death_date= <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} -->
|death_place=
|death_cause=
|resting_place=
|resting_place_coordinates= <!-- {{Coord|LATITUDE|LONGITUDE|type:landmark}} -->
|monuments=
|nationality={{flag|CZE|name=Czech}}
| education        = [[University of Defence (Czech Republic)|University of Defence]]
|spouse=
|relatives=
| air_force        = [[Czech Air Force]]
|first_race =2010
|racing_best = 1st ([[2018 Red Bull Air Race World Championship|2018]])
|racing_aircraft =  [[Zivko Edge 540|Zivko Edge 540 V3]]
|website=[http://www.martin-sonka.cz martin-sonka.cz]
}}

'''Martin Šonka''' (born 26 March 1978 in [[Dvůr Králové nad Labem]]) is a [[Czechs|Czech]] aerobatics (unlimited) and a former fighter pilot in the [[Czech Air Force]]. He has raced in [[Red Bull Air Race World Championship]] since 2010,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redbullairrace.com/cs/Satellite/en_air/Article/Two-new-pilots-for-2010-Red-Bull-Air-Race-season-021242806739411 |title=Two new pilots for 2010 Red Bull Air Race season |access-date=2010-02-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208161825/http://www.redbullairrace.com/cs/Satellite/en_air/Article/Two-new-pilots-for-2010-Red-Bull-Air-Race-season-021242806739411 |archive-date=2010-02-08 }}</ref> becoming the World Champion in the [[2018 Red Bull Air Race World Championship]] season.

== Biography ==

=== Beginnings ===
Martin Šonka began his aviation career in 1997. In this year he flew a glider for the first time and started his studies at [[University of Defence (Czech Republic)|University of Defence]] in Brno as a pilot. In 1999 he gained his [[Private Pilot Licence]]. Between 2001 and 2005 he attended Jan Perner Transport Faculty at [[University of Pardubice]] (Department of Transport Management, Marketing and Logistics). He finished his studies with a master's degree in 2005.

=== The Czech Air Force ===
His military career started in 2000 in [[Pardubice]]. Two years after he moved to the air base in [[Náměšť nad Oslavou]] and in 2006 to 21st Tactical Air Force Base at [[Čáslav]] where he began flying [[L-159 Alca]]. In 2012 he has finished the type rating for the [[Saab JAS 39 Gripen]]. In 2014 he was forced to leave the army due to his busy racing schedule.

=== Aerobatics ===
In 2005 he became a member of the Czech national aerobatic team. He used to fly [[Su-31]], however in the past few years he is training and competing with [[Extra EA-300|Extra 300SR]].

== Red Bull Air Race ==
In 2009 Šonka passed all Red Bull Air Race qualifying camps and gained The Red Bull Air Race Super Licence. Then he was nominated for a 2010 season rookie.

== Achievements ==

'''Red Bull Air Race'''

{|class="wikitable" style="clear:both;"
|- 
!colspan=12 align=center|{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} Martin Šonka<br>at the [[Red Bull Air Race World Championship]]
|-
!width="10%"|Year
!width="10%"| 1
!width="10%"| 2
!width="10%"| 3
!width="10%"| 4
!width="10%"| 5
!width="10%"| 6
!width="10%"| 7
!width="10%"| 8
!width="10%"|Points
!width="10%"|Wins
!width="10%"|Rank
|- align=center
! [[2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship season|2010]]
| style="background:#cfcfff;"|{{flagicon|UAE}}<br />[[Abu Dhabi|13th]]
| style="background:#cfcfff;"|{{flagicon|AUS}}<br />[[Perth|14th]]
| style="background:#cfcfff;"|{{flagicon|BRA}}<br />[[Rio de Janeiro|13th]]
| style="background:#cfcfff;"|{{flagicon|CAN}}<br />[[Ontario|12th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|USA}}<br />[[New York City|11th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|GER}}<br />[[EuroSpeedway Lausitz|11th]]
|{{flagicon|HUN}}<br />[[Budapest|CAN]]
|{{flagicon|PRT}}<br />[[Lisbon|CAN]]
!2
!0
! style="background:#cfcfff;"|14th
|- align=center
|colspan=12| '''Series not held between 2011 and 2013'''
|- align=center
! [[2014 Red Bull Air Race World Championship season|2014]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|UAE}}<br />[[Abu Dhabi|7th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|CRO}}<br />[[Rovinj|6th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|MYS}}<br />[[Putrajaya|6th]]
| style="background:#cfcfff;"|{{flagicon|POL}}<br />[[Gdynia|10th]]
| style="background:#cfcfff;"|{{flagicon|GBR}}<br />[[Ascot Racecourse|9th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|USA}}<br />[[Texas Motor Speedway|7th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|USA}}<br />[[Las Vegas|8th]]
| style="background:#ffdf9f;"|{{flagicon|AUT}}<br />[[Spielberg, Styria|3rd]]
!18
!0
! style="background:#dfffdf;"|8th
|- align=center
! [[2015 Red Bull Air Race World Championship season|2015]]
| style="background:#cfcfff;"|{{flagicon|UAE}}<br />[[2015 Red Bull Air Race of Abu Dhabi|10th]]
| style="background:#cfcfff;"|{{flagicon|JPN}}<br />[[2015 Red Bull Air Race of Chiba|10th]]
| style="background:#dfdfdf;"|{{flagicon|CRO}}<br />[[2015 Red Bull Air Race of Rovinj|2nd]]
| style="background:#ffdf9f;"|{{flagicon|HUN}}<br />[[2015 Red Bull Air Race of Budapest|3rd]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|GBR}}<br />[[2015 Red Bull Air Race of Ascot|7th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|AUT}}<br />[[2015 Red Bull Air Race of Spielberg|4th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|USA}}<br />[[2015 Red Bull Air Race of Fort Worth|4th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|USA}}<br />[[2015 Red Bull Air Race of Las Vegas|8th]]
!29
!0
! style="background:#dfffdf;"|4th
|-align=center
! [[2016 Red Bull Air Race World Championship|2016]]
| style="background:#000000;color:#ffffff"|{{flagicon|UAE}}<br />[[2016 Red Bull Air Race of Abu Dhabi|<span style="color:#ffffff">DSQ</span>]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|AUT}}<br />[[2016 Red Bull Air Race of Spielberg|9th]]
| style="background:#dfdfdf;"|{{flagicon|JPN}}<br />[[2016 Red Bull Air Race of Chiba|2nd]]
| style="background:#cfcfff;"|{{flagicon|HUN}}<br />[[2016 Red Bull Air Race of Budapest|13th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|GBR}}<br />[[2016 Red Bull Air Race of Ascot|5th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|GER}}<br />[[2016 Red Bull Air Race of Lausitz|4th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|USA}}<br />[[2016 Red Bull Air Race of Indianapolis|7th]]
| {{flagicon|USA}}<br />[[2016 Red Bull Air Race of Las Vegas|CAN]]
! 31
! 0
! style="background:#dfffdf;"|7th
|- align=center
! [[2017 Red Bull Air Race World Championship|2017]]
| style="background:#ffffbf;"|{{flagicon|UAE}}<br />[[2017 Red Bull Air Race of Abu Dhabi|1st]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|USA}}<br />[[2017 Red Bull Air Race of San Diego|5th]]
| style="background:#ffdf9f;"|{{flagicon|JPN}}<br />[[2017 Red Bull Air Race of Chiba|3rd]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|HUN}}<br />[[2017 Red Bull Air Race of Budapest|4th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|RUS}}<br />[[2017 Red Bull Air Race of Kazan|9th]]
| style="background:#ffffbf;"|{{flagicon|PRT}}<br />[[2017 Red Bull Air Race of Porto|1st]]
| style="background:#ffdf9f;"|{{flagicon|GER}}<br />[[2017 Red Bull Air Race of Lausitz|3rd]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|USA}}<br />[[2017 Red Bull Air Race of Indianapolis|4th]]
! 70
! 2
! style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2nd
|- align=center
! [[2018 Red Bull Air Race World Championship|2018]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|UAE}}<br />[[2018 Red Bull Air Race of Abu Dhabi|4th]]
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|FRA}}<br />[[2018 Red Bull Air Race of Cannes|8th]]
| style="background:#ffdf9f;"|{{flagicon|JPN}}<br />[[2018 Red Bull Air Race of Chiba|3rd]]
| style="background:#ffffbf;"|{{flagicon|HUN}}<br />[[2018 Red Bull Air Race of Budapest|1st]]
| style="background:#ffffbf;"|{{flagicon|RUS}}<br />[[2018 Red Bull Air Race of Kazan|1st]]
| style="background:#ffffbf;"|{{flagicon|AUT}}<br />[[2018 Red Bull Air Race of Wiener Neustadt|1st]]
| style="background:#cfcfff;"|{{flagicon|USA}}<br />[[2018 Red Bull Air Race of Indianapolis|10th]]
| style="background:#ffffbf;"|{{flagicon|USA}}<br />[[2018 Red Bull Air Race of Fort Worth|1st]]
! 80
! 4
! style="background:#ffffbf;"|1st
|- align=center
! [[2019 Red Bull Air Race World Championship|2019]]
| style="background:#dfdfdf;"|{{flagicon|UAE}}<br />[[2019 Red Bull Air Race of Abu Dhabi|2nd]]
| style="background:#ffdf9f;"|{{flagicon|RUS}}<br />[[2019 Red Bull Air Race of Kazan|3rd]] <small>+2</small>
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|HUN}}<br />[[2019 Red Bull Air Race of Zamárdi|4th]] <small>+3</small>
| style="background:#dfffdf;"|{{flagicon|JPN}}<br />[[2019 Red Bull Air Race of Chiba|13th]] <small>+2</small>
|colspan="4"| ''Season shortened''
!68
!0
!style="background:#ffdf9f;"|3rd
|}

Legend: * CAN: Cancelled * DNP: Did not take part * DNS: Did not start * DSQ: Disqualified

'''2009'''
*World Championship, Unlimited - Free Style, Powered, 9th place<ref>[http://www.wac2009.com/wacresults_day10.html Daily Results - Saturday August 29, 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100110124033/http://www.wac2009.com/wacresults_day10.html |date=January 10, 2010 }}" ''World Aerobatic Championship''. Retrieved 11 February 2010.</ref>
*Slovenian Nationals, Unlimited, Powered, 1st place
*World Air Games, Unlimited, Powered, 5th place

'''2008'''
*World Aerobatic Cup, Unlimited, Powered, 3rd place <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aerobaticscup.com/index.php?lang%3Den%26node%3D107 |title=World Aerobatics Cup 2008 &#124; Results |access-date=2010-02-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707092100/http://www.aerobaticscup.com/index.php?lang=en&node=107 |archive-date=2011-07-07 }}</ref>
*European Championship, Unlimited, Powered, 17th place
*National Championship, Unlimited, Powered, 1st place

'''2007'''
*World Championship, Unlimited, Powered, 29th place.<ref>[http://events.fai.org/aerobatics/fullresults.asp?id=4303&gender=o 24th FAI World Aerobatic Championships 24/06/2007 - 04/07/2007 Overall Results]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. ''Fédération Aéronautique Internationale''. Retrieved 11 February 2010.</ref>
*National Championship, Unlimited, Powered, 2nd place

'''2006'''
*European Championship, Unlimited, Powered, 14th place
*National Championship, Unlimited, Powered, 3rd place

'''2005'''
*European Championship, Advanced, Powered, 14th place
*National Championship, Advanced, Powered, 4th place

'''2004'''
*National Championship, Sportsman, Powered, 1st place
*National Championship, Intermediate, Gliders, 1st place

'''2003'''
*National Championship, Sportsman, Gliders, 1st place

'''2002'''
*National Championship, Sportsman, Gliders, 3rd place

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Red Bull Air Race - Martin Sonka.jpg|Šonka taking off from Jandakot airport for the final practice before the Perth Red Bull Air Race
2017RedBullAirRaceChibaN806PB MartinSonka.jpg|[[2017 Red Bull Air Race of Chiba]] - N806PB
Martin Šonka HA-BES Malmi 4.JPG|Šonka in the cockpit of his [[Extra EA-300|Extra 300SR]] aircraft at [[Helsinki-Malmi airport]]
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
<!-- Per [[WP:ELMINOFFICIAL]], choose one official website only -->
{{Commons category|Martin Šonka}}
* [http://www.martin-sonka.cz/ Official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120229213020/http://www.redbullairrace.com/cs/Satellite/en_air/Profile/Martin-Sonka-021242804322196?CategoryName=Red+Bull+Air+Race&p=1238611393596#/related-content-articles Red Bull Air Race Pilot Profile – Martin Šonka]

{{Red Bull Air Race World Series Pilots}}
{{Red Bull Air Race World Series Champions}}
{{Aerobatics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonka, Martin}}
[[Category:Aerobatic pilots]]
[[Category:Czech aviators]]
[[Category:Czech air racers]]
[[Category:Red Bull Air Race World Championship pilots]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1978 births]]
[[Category:People from Dvůr Králové nad Labem]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from the Hradec Králové Region]]