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"World Cup Clopotiva, Romania 2022"
Summary written by Ruth Jessop
Today was perfect for paragliding, if a little hot, so a 73 km triangle was set.
Initially the thermals were a bit broken and the thermal drift seemed to be in every direction. Then the inversion lifted and after the first turn point the thermals got better. However, the plain still took a long time to work.
The big tactical choice was whether to take the direct route across the flats or take the longer route round the hills. The flats proved to be the fastest once they started working. Nice cumulus at the lake marked the thermals.
The second turn point proved the most technical point in the race. The hills around it were in the lee. There was convergence between the last two turn points, but when the pilots left the convergence, the going got tough.
The leaders were surprised by the head wind and sink on the way to End of Speed giving worse glide ratios to goal than expected, so they had to stop for another thermal. Those behind caught them up and thus the first 65 pilots arrived in goal within minutes of each other.
The first 95 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/time points and lead out points.
Top speed point winners – the fastest pilots round the course
02:25:56: Petr KOSTRHUN flying at an average speed of 27.3 km/h
02:25:58: Joachim OBERHAUSER
02:26:03: Nicolas DINH
02:26:03: Rafael BARROS
Top 3 leading point baggers – those who were in the lead the most
161.2: Nicolas DINH
158.3: Joachim OBERHAUSER
157.9: Rafael BARROS
Top 3 in the task
1: Nicolas DINH
2: Joachim OBERHAUSER
3: Rafael BARROS
Best newcomer: Krzysztof MACIEJCZUK (11th)
Top 3 ladies in the task
1: Constance METTETAL
2: Marcella UCHOA
3: Nao NARIYAMA
Top 3 teams in the task
1: Parapente Mag
2: Jack 8 Jones
3: Ozone
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