The 221.1km task had a nail-biting finish. It took the fastest pilot Uli Schwenk of Germany 1 hour 54 minutes 13 seconds to complete the course with Steve Jones (GBR) just one second behind him, and third place Petr Krejcirik (CZE) a further 21 seconds behind him.
Schwenk was delighted with his win and route decision, “I made some
good course choices and was able to climb at a key point in the course,
south of the Dingle range. This allowed me to maintain the much needed
altitude giving me extra speed for the descent to the finish line. It
was an exciting race and I am very much looking forward to the next
five days of flying,” he said.
With unsettled weather early in the day the pilots were apprehensive
about the flying conditions. A bold early move by Mark Holliday (SA)
and Michael Sommer (GER) gave them the lead for a substantial duration
of the race with the remainder of the field catching up after the
second turn point.
Task director Gavin Wills, responsible for setting the course, said it
was a challenging first race with the results dependent on crucial
route decisions. The lead pilots were continuously switching positions
and a strong easterly on the second leg made it tricky to rise above
the mountain ranges. Erwin Sommer (GER) succumbed to this easterly and
landed out mid-race.
Using the latest TV filming technology spectators around the world were
able to watch the race live or delayed on the internet, following the
glider’s paths, speeds and altitude and also benefiting from the live
commentary that provided viewers a fascinating insight into the
tactics, decisions and consequences of each competitor.
Viewers can sign up through www.gpgliding.com free of charge for the
low resolution service or can pay a small cost (US$6.99) to enjoy the
coverage at full resolution with the ability to revisit and enjoy the
highlights. Subscription discounts will apply to multi-day full
resolution packages.
The six days of intense, high speed competition continues tomorrow. For full results and images, visit www.gpgliding.com