Today was a day of blue skies, high base, and very few clouds.
A 105km task zigzagging across the mouth of the mountains was set, a task more for the mountain goats than the golfers.
The first choice was which ridge to follow. It was a day for straight-lining and very little turning. The thermals were powerful and punchy, with strong winds in places. There were stunning views of bare rock faces.
The course took the pilots over some very remote terrain with no roads. It was full-on mountain flying.
The end part of the race, out into the flats, was very mincy. Some were luckier than others. Definitely a time to put the brakes on and change pace, making it both a fast and a slow day.
It was a day that was decisive for the scores as two pilots Pal Takats and Jonathan Marin got to goal 3 minutes before the others by sneaking onto another mountain and going for it whilst the others looked in the opposite direction. They crushed everyone else’s scores putting most into a discard, right on the day when everyone was hoping to make the most of now having a full discard. Well done to the 66 who made goal; better luck tomorrow to the 61 who didn’t.
The average speed of the fastest pilot round the course was 33.5 km/h.
The first 66 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 3 speed/time points winners – the fastest pilots round the course:
02:59:34: Pal TAKATS
03:00:48: Jonathan MARIN
03:03:23: Michael SOMMERAUER
Top 3 leading point baggers – those who were in the lead the most:
Denis Soverini: 152.1
Ulrich PRINZ: 144.7
Joze MOLEK: 144.0
Top 3 overall
1st: Pal TAKATS
2nd: Ulrich PRINZ
3rd: Jonathan MARIN
Top 3 ladies
1st: Seiko FUKUOKA NAVILLE
2nd: Yuki SATO COLOMBé
3rd: Emanuelle ZUFFEREY
Top 3 teams
1st: Cross Country Magazine
2nd: Chinese Taipei Gliding Sports Association
3rd: Davinci Gliders
Summary written by Ruth Jessop
