August 15 Report

On the last day of the competition, an Assigned Area Task was set, only the second one of the contest, and the only one that was actually flown. The nominal distance was 288 km, and the minimum time was 3 hours.

We had the same easterly wind as yesterday. Today the conditions were a bit weaker, and there were no cumulus clouds. Everyone left at about 1400, and with the AAT, it was easier to predict when they would return.

As usual, the best climbs were in the southern part of the task area, about 2.4 m/sec to 1900 m MSL. But the typical thermals were not that strong, and the best average speed was 83 kph, as compared with 100 kph yesterday.

It was a good day for USA. Francois Pin and Tony Condon were together the entire day and took the first two places. Their times on course differed by 23 seconds. Stefano Ghiorzo was third with 81 kph, good for 961 points. The win by Francois allowed him to claim third place overall.

So, the 1^st FAI World 13.5 Metre Class Gliding Championship ends with almost 11000 points for the Champion, Stefano Ghiorzo of Italy.

Congratulations Stefano! And congratulations to Italy for winning the Team Cup.

Final results: