Paul Bonhomme of Britain and Austria's Hannes Arch, who were locked in a tight battle for the title with Lamb, both struggled on the high-speed, low-altitude track with unusual mistakes in the heavy winds and would have been eliminated in the Top 12 round had the race continued on to the Super 8.

"This shows that Qualifying is important -- we all know that weather can be a factor. You always want to race on race day," said McLeod, who has won four of the seven Qualifying sessions this season but had just two third place results, in Abu Dhabi and Fort Worth, Texas to show for it. "I'm happy with my flying in Qualifying so it's something to smile about. I still want to earn my first win in the Final Four."

The overall World Championship lead changed hands in Las Vegas, for the fourth time in the series' exciting season ever, with Lamb leaping over Bonhomme into first place with 53 championship points. Arch is in second with 48 points and Bonhomme fell to third with 47 points going into the final race of the season in Spielberg, Austria on October 25-26.