Today was a fine day, but with a quite a lot more cloud cover than yesterday. The wind was predicted to be from the north-east, then turning south-easterly. An 81km task via two turn points was set.

This was truly a race of two halves.

The thermals were fairly weak to begin with, but conditions improved after the start, giving some fairly good quality racing. After the first turnpoint pilots followed two fairly parallel routes through some of the most spectacular scenery in the area, including the famous Cinco Pontões, five granite fingers dominating the landscape.

On rounding the last turnpoint, the leading pilots were faced with an almost completely overcast sky all the way to goal. Pilots scattered in all directions looking for any lift anywhere. Before long, the majority of the field were on the ground. A group of six pilots hung back and changed gears into survival mode, seeing the conditions. They worked their way slowly to the goal, grimly hanging onto every centimetre of altitude. Only one made it: Congratulations to Francisco Javier López Ricardo on his persistence. His time of four and a half hours says it all.

Top 3 distance point winners – the pilots who got furthest round the course
81.7 km: Francisco Javier LóPEZ RICARDO
79.1 km: Yann MARTAIL
79.0 km: Michel CECCATO

Only speed point winner – the fastest pilots round the course
04:29:08: Francisco Javier LóPEZ RICARDO flying at an average speed of 17.1 km/h

Top 3 leading point baggers – those who were in the lead the most
69.9: Alfredo STUDER
65.9: Michel CECCATO
37.7: Yann MARTAIL

Top 3 in the task
1: Francisco Javier LóPEZ RICARDO (NEWCOMER)
2: Michel CECCATO (NEWCOMER)
3: Alfredo STUDER

Top 3 ladies
1: Galen KIRKPATRICK
2: Meryl DELFERRIERE
3: Capucine DELIOT

Top 3 teams
1: Gin Gliders
2: Alas del Hombre
3: Jack 8 Jones