Las Vegas, Nevada – Team Garmin's Pete McLeod of Canada came to Las Vegas hoping to hit a winning streak like he had a year ago when he got the first Red Bull Air Race victory of his career but it wasn't in the cards this year and he ended up in 11th place in the final race of the season on Sunday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

McLeod, who had one podium this season in the first race of the year in Abu Dhabi, got knocked out of the high-speed, low-altitude racing in the opening round by France's Nicolas Ivanoff after getting a late penalty that ruined an otherwise strong run. That dropped him down to eighth place overall in the final World Championship standings with 19 points.

"It’s definitely been an up and down season, a lot of progress in some areas and a lot of struggle in others," said McLeod, the youngest pilot in the world's fastest motorsport series. "I had a great time flying here, but I’m already looking to 2016. I’m looking forward to a few days’ break, then we start getting ready for next season. We have some work to do on the airplane."

Team Garmin spend much of the season trying to get more power out of the engine.

"We struggled this year not having enough speed to allow conservative lines – I always had to push and take risks," he said. "I think I moved forward for sure this year, we did a lot of progress with analysis and I think my flying has matured – but still keeping that racing spirit. I am more consistent and I want to keep that going."

Britain's Paul Bonhomme won the World Championship after taking second on Sunday behind Australia's Matt Hall, who won his second race this season. It was Bonhomme’s third championship, in his 10th season after the British ace won the title 2009 and 2010. Bonhomme, who had to overcome technical problems just before the final race, ended up with 76 world championship points, just five ahead of Hall on 71 with Austria’s Hannes Arch third overall with 34 points.

“It’s amazing, just amazing,” said a sweat-drenched Bonhomme, who had four wins and seven podiums in the eight races this season and scored a record-breaking 76 championship points. “ It was the toughest World Championship I’ve ever had. It was hard work.”

Hungary’s Peter Besenyei, one of the most successful pilots in the history of the race with eight career victories, announced that he was retiring from the sport he helped create in 2003. Besenyei, 59, won the title in the inaugural season in 2003.

RESULTS, LAS VEGAS: 1. Matt Hall (AUS), 2. Paul Bonhomme (GBR), 3. Matthias Dolderer (GER), 4. Yoshihide Muroya (JPN), 5. Hannes Arch (AUT), 6. Michael Goulian (USA), 7. Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA), 8. Martin Sonka (CZE), 9. Juan Velarde (ESP), 10. Nigel Lamb (GBR), 11. Pete McLeod (CAN), 12. Kirby Chambliss (USA), 13. Peter Besenyei (HUN), 14. François Le Vot (FRA)

FINAL 2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1. Bonhomme (GBR) 76 point, 2. Hall (AUS) 71, 3. Arch (AUT) 34, 4. Sonka (CZE) 29, 5. Dolderer (GER) 26, 6. Muroya (JPN) 23, 7. Lamb (GBR) 20, 8. McLeod (CAN) 19, 9. Ivanoff (FRA) 15, 10. Goulian (USA) 13, 11. Chambliss (USA) 9, 12. Besenyei (HUN) 8, 13. Velarde (ESP), 14. Le Vot (FRA)