With blue skies and less wind than yesterday, an ambitious 93 km task was set taking the pilots out into the flats, then south round the volcano.
It was a real struggle to stay up at the start on the shoulder of the volcano.
It was at this point that we noticed that Martin Jovanoski was still keying away on his laptop in his car, engrossed in organising the Accuracy World championships, and hadn’t noticed that the competition had started!
For those already in the air, it was a day to be very patient and take every thermal. Those who cracked and went for it, landed.
The wind blew many off the course line, away from the turn point. Those who got low, found the thermals too broken to use.
Out in the plains it was very windy. It was a day for staying high if you could.
Between the third and fourth turn points, when the leaders chose a route in nearer the volcano, the Turks overtook. It was a nail-biting finish.
Still in a bit of a rush, Gin’s very own genie in a harness, Martin Jovanoski, took the lead thanks to some thermals off a tomato field. Inspired by the Accuracy Worlds, he landed one metre from the goal tent, ten seconds ahead of the others. Very nicely done.
The first 31 pilots made goal, and thus all flew the same distance, and gained the same distance points. Today’s winner is therefore the one with a combination of the best speed points and lead out points.
Top 3 speed point winners – the fastest pilots round the course:
2:51:30 Martin JOVANOSKI flying at an average of 30.8 km/h
2:51:40 Franck PERRING and Gleb Sukhotskiy
Top 3 leading point baggers – those who were in the lead the most:
126.3 Stephane DROUIN
123.4 Martin JOVANOSKI and Yassen SAVOV
Unfortunately, there were no extra Birthday points for Soheil Barikani today. However, well done coming 6th and a very Happy Official Birthday, from us all.
Top 3 in task 2
1st Martin JOVANOSKI
2nd Stephane DROUIN
3rd Yassen SAVOV
Top 3 ladies
1st Galen KIRKPATRICK
2nd Daria KRASNOVA
3rd Adel HONTI
Top 3 teams
1st Gin Gliders
2nd Nearbirds
3rd Wind
Best 3 newcomers: Konstantin KALININ, Mustafa AZTEKIN, Bernd HOHLMEIER
