August 13 Report

Today is the day we have been waiting for! Post-frontal fresh air moved into the area last night, and we were told to expect 3 m/sec to 1500 meters, with good visibility and cloudbases rising throughout the day.

The gliders were sent to the northwest today, in order to avoid the retreating front to our east. At first, the 310 km Racing Task seemed too short to some of the pilots, but later they changed their minds about that. In fact, it was the perfect distance.

The gliders were launched without delay, and they departed in three distinct groups. Four gliders (VS, ZR, I, GO) left before 1400, a pair shortly after 1400 (LR2, FES), and the rest of them half an hour later.

The secret to success today was pair-flying. The pilots of the French, Italian, Russian, and American teams started together, and for the most part, finished within one or two minutes of each other. The two most successful teams were USA and France. François Pin and Tony Condon finished second and third, while the next two places were taken by Antoine Havet and Frederic Hoyeau. But nobody was able to catch Vladas Motuza, who claimed his fifth daily win at 99 kph.

In the overall results, Stefano Ghiorzo and Vladas Motuza seem to have secured their positions on the podium. With two days to go, the third spot is still very much in contention!

[Photo credit: Organizers]