Air Racing-Aussie pilot Hall soars to victory in Cannes

April 22 (Reuters) - Australian pilot Matt Hall claimed victory in the second leg of the Red Bull Air Race world championship in Cannes, France on Sunday, edging German Matthias Dolderer in an intense final four battle.

Hall crossed the lined with a time of 57.692 seconds to record his first victory since he started racing in the Edge 540 at the start of last season.

Dolderer finished just 0.072 seconds behind, while American Michael Goulian, who topped Saturday's qualifying session, took the third spot.

Reigning world champion Yoshihide Muroya was the fourth pilot in the final four battle, but a two-second penalty for incorrect level flying at Gate 8 had put an end to the hope of a podium finish.

Goulian retained the top spot in the overall standings with 24 points, with Hall only three points behind and Muroya is third with 19 points.

The pilots will next compete in the third leg in Chiba, Japan on May 26-27. (Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge)