CLOCKING up top speeds of 210mph, meet Oxfordshire's fastest man.

Nigel Lamb has flown over active volcanoes and across the deserts of Las Vegas, enduring gravitational forces up to G10 – almost three times as much as Formula 1 drivers.

This weekend the father-of-three, who lives near Thame, returns to "home turf" to take on the Red Bull Air Race as Ascot Racecourse – designed to be "the most advanced aerial challenge the world had ever seen".

But he has also announced that at the age of 59, this will be his last year as a competitive flyer.

He told Pete Hughes how he is feeling about his grand finale.

How are you feeling in the lead up to Ascot?

Very relaxed, but ready to race. It’s important to try and navigate around all the extra pressures and distractions of the home race as best as possible, so you can get to race day with a clear head and totally focused on the race. The aircraft feels great and I’ve been able to get a bit of flying in over the last week so I'm looking forward to experiencing the phenomenal home race atmosphere again.

How has the air race been for you this year?

We had a disappointing start in Abu Dhabi - mostly technical issues but it all came together for the second race in Spielberg. Since then I think we’ve been unlucky not to have been on the podium. It's frustrating to train well in the track and be flying accurately and then to have a disappointing run when it really counts but that’s the nature of racing with such small margins at stake.

How did you transition into becoming a Red Bull Air Race pilot?

Through many thousands of hours in a cockpit. During my air force training we were taught basic aerobatics and the three-dimensional freedom was something that I really enjoyed. So, when I left the air force I moved to England to join a formation aerobatic display team and to continue my quest for aerobatic precision. I started competing in 1986.

I absolutely loved the purity of contest aerobatics and managed to win the British Unlimited Championships several times whilst also running an aerobatic team with my wife, Hilary who also took up competition aerobatics. As soon as I heard about the Red Bull Air Race I knew immediately that it was something I would love to do so I made a few phone calls to register my interest with the right people. In 2005 I had a call asking me to attend a training camp in Hungary and I guess I must have done ok because the rest, as they say, is history.

What goes through your mind when you're in the air?

Once you have got yourself into that place of feeling completely prepared and you’re looking forward to coming into the track it all becomes second nature, albeit very intense. You aren’t thinking about G-forces, you also don’t think at all about the control inputs because the aircraft is just an extension of your body: you’ve chosen a line that you want and you’re doing whatever’s necessary to get your body along that line. It involves intense concentration with huge amounts of activity going on with air gates flashing past the cockpit every few seconds. The satisfaction of a well-flown race is tremendous.

Have you had any experiences when flying which particularly stick out for you?

I’ve been very lucky to have had a long and fulfilling career in aviation with a wide variety of wonderful experiences. Most relate to other people sharing the experience but one that stands out is circling the active Mayon volcano near Legazpi in the Philippines at 8,000 feet in a tiny bi-plane and feeling phenomenally vulnerable in the face of the awesome power of nature.

How are you feeling about retiring after this year’s series?

I am strangely surprised at how relaxed I feel about stopping all forms of competitive flying. I hope the idea of stopping flying altogether is something that will not materialise for a few decades yet.

What is your plan when the series is over this year?

I would still like to be involved in some way after 2016, but we’ll see what the opportunities are. Looking beyond that I am looking forward to dedicating more time to other non-aviation activities and more sports. I’m not sure exactly what I’ll do as I am determined to stay focused this year on trying to win races. Whatever happens, I’ll aim for a very relaxing winter before becoming busy again.