TICKETS for the first ever global aerobatic competition have been sold on the Internet for up to £70 after more than 700,000 people applied for just 40,000 places.

The Red Bull Air Race World Series, a slalom race in the sky in which pilots perform dangerous aerobatic manoeuvres just metres above the ground, is being held at Longleat on Sunday.

Interest in the event has been so high people have been scouring Internet auction site, eBay, for tickets.

Longleat marketing and events manager Florence Wallace said: "This was supposed to be a free event and I know there were lots of people who were disappointed to miss out on a ticket."

"While we do not condone the selling of tickets on the Internet there's not a lot we can do about it. It just goes to show what a huge event the Air Race is going to be."

The lucky spectators, who were chosen at random by three separate ballots, will be treated to a high-octane display of aerial skill as 10 daredevil pilots reach speeds of up to 250mph as they guide their planes through inflatable 20-metre pylons.

Each pilot will fly two runs of the Longleat track and the winner will be the pilot with the fastest aggregate time. Penalty seconds are added for failure to fly the correct course or to perform the correct manoeuvre.

Since April, almost 1,000,000 spectators have turned out to watch the World Series, which has visited Abu Dhabi, Rotterdam, Zeltweg in Austria and most recently the historic Rock of Cashel in Ireland.

Peter Besenyei, of Hungary, currently leads the world rankings with American Mike Mangold, a former Top-Gun military pilot, close behind in second. The UK is represented by Steve Jones, of Gloucestershire, and Paul Bonhomme, of Maidenhead, who lie joint third and sixth respectively after the opening four events.

The two British pilots are Boeing 747 captains by profession and have been integral to the Red Bull Air Races since the sport was introduced in 2003. Steve finished second in Abu Dhabi and is hoping to go one better in front of the home fans on Sunday.

He said: "I'm really looking forward to racing in front of a home crowd. I'm sure they will be cheering for us and it's bound to make us fly faster".

Lord Bath will fly home from Paris especially to attend the race.