—-If you have read my last blogs, you have seen how many top juniors represent at HIGH level their countries even after many years.
Look at Jez Hood from the UK, who won the standard class as junior in Nitra in 2003 and this year in 2021 he was 4th in Montlucon. Chapeau!!!
AND flying LS 8 in Nitra and now LS 8 again!!!!
Go,go Jez…on your way to Narromine 2023.

—-Those light- weight DIANA 2’s were, as Sebastian mentioned ,the best glider for the weather in Montlucon. With good pilots in them, they are really “winners”.1-2 and 3 in Montlucon.
I was a bit confused to see NO French or NO UK pilots in the top 3. Often they dominate the scores.
All in all, 4 German pilots, 2 Polish and one from Australia, Belgium and The Netherlands in the top 9!!!!

—-It took me hours to find a picture from St class from the prize ceremony. BUT I found one!!!
Finally the Belgium team shared one on Monday. I counted already on them as they were good in their updates!!! Thanks again.

And then DG Flugzeugbau GmbH shared this lovely picture yesterday so I add it too.

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—The Cup from the City of Rieti has finished. Rieti has been very busy for the whole month of August with top comps and top pilots.
And a top CD Aldo Cernezzi.
It was a great Rieti summer, no doubt about that.
Except of course for the fatal accident…you understand.
Last Sunday they flew their last task number 5 with in group 2 [ I concentrated on them ] 390 k. to fly.
On Saturday they flew already a 425 set task, won by the Bouderliques, who spend their august-summer-time in Rieti flying the C.I.M. as well.
18 Finished 4 did not.
It was either Alberto ‘s ARCUS T or the Bouderliques ARCUS M in the overall top 2 over the last days. So pretty clear one of those ARCUSSES was going to win the COPPA.
22 Started and 22 finished, so a good day.
Alberto was 2d [ 144.77 km./h.] , the Bouderliques 6th [140.37 km./h.] and Jon 3d. [147.22 km./h.] So the overall scores changed a bit, but number 1,2 and 3 remained the same.
The winners from group 2 are;
1. The Bouderliques with 5.371 points.
2. Alberto and Mr. Venturini with 5.284 p.
3. Jon Gatfield with 5.237 p.

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—-The 18m and 20 m Nationals started last Saturday at Lasham.
Day 1 had to be cancelled, but day 2 had small windows to fly a 179 km task in 18 m. and 164 in the 20 m class.
18 x 2 – seaters ; 8x an ARCUS type, 7x a Duo Discus type, 2x an ASG 32 and a Twin Shark.
Sunday news; “We are up and running for Day 1 of the 18M and 20M Nationals 2021. After some drizzly weather yesterday we are hoping for better luck today.”
They had!!!!
18 m. got 179 km to fly and Russell Cheetham [JS 3] was the best from 41 in this class; 97 km./h.
Many toppers , former world champions or European champions flying.
32 were in.
20 m. got 164 km...
Winner was, after looking at all loggers , THE TWIN SHARK with in it Edward Downham. Good on him!!!
10 Were in and 8 out!
Monday on August 23 ;
18 m; 299.29 km...later changed in a B task from 188 km. and then still only 3 from 42 finished!!!!
3x a VENTUS 3T in the top and some toppers who were out, as Russell, Pete and Liz.
20 m.; 181.58 km....changed in 179 km and in this class half of the pilots was in ;9 from 18. The ASG 32 was the best; 89 km./h.
The Jones brothers are doing well. Philip was runner up in 18 m. and Steve in this class.

Tuesday August 24;
18 m; task 4…2.30 AAT ….and they all left for the A task. AND they all finished!!!!!All 42!!!!!
Pete [Harvey]number 39 on task 3, was now the best BUT, ended on spot 4 due to penalty points for finish height; 293.60 km in time 2.33. [Speed 122.87 km./h.]
Gary [Stingmore] in the AS 33es won the day with 327 km in time 2.40. [122.18 km./h]
Former world champion Leigh [Wells] was 4th in a JS 3 [121.56 km./h] just behind Ian Macarthur . [121.98 km./h]
20 m; task 4…2.30 AAT...with a distance of 304 km. in time 2.57 Graham Mc Andrew’s was the fastest; 102 km./h.
As the day before Steve was runner up in the ARCUS M ![101.65 km./h]
More news next Wednesday!
17 from 18 were in.
More next week.

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—–The Polish JUNIOR NATIONALS are not lucky with the weather either.
Standard class started with a day on which except for one, ALL pilots were out. Then 2 days cancelled.
On Saturday they tried again with a 1.30 AAT and 15 from 21 finished!
Club class only flew on Saturday with a 1.30 AAT in which the best pilot flew 113 km in time 1.49 in a junior.
8 From 11 finished.
Sunday’s tasks were cancelled!
Monday there was NO TASK.

BUT,..on Tuesday standard got a 1.15 AAT as did Club .
Task 4 on flying day 2, was a fact but only for club as standard was cancelled. Club got a 1 hour AAT and 1 from 11 flew the task.
The other 10 still flew between 13 and 48 km…hard work, character building!
In the end the task of course was NOT VALID….so zero points for the hard work. BUT,…. Chapeau for Marcel Bulka who finished in his Astir CS; speed 51 km./h!!!
So task 4 on flying day 2 was not a fact.

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—-The UK juniors 38 in total, quite a lot!!!!, got a very small task from 85 km. on Sunday. This competition is flown parallel with the Cotswald regionals with 27 pilots, so busy, busy.
I concentrate on the Juniors.
With 90 km./h Finn [Sleigh] won task 2 with 85 km.; 92.79 km./h.
He was one of the juniors flying the European junior comps…he is the new EUROPEAN CHAMPION in club class…. so in a good flow ,as was Henry Inigo – Jones who was 5th for the day….3d in standard class at the Europeans behind Tom who won the silver.
Toby [Freeland] flew the Europeans as well,..he was 3d now. Tom [Pavis] was 22d.
Finn started at 3.18 the runner up at 4.13 PM !!!
Task 3, 80 km..24 from 33 flew the small task. They flew mostly between 15.57, an early start and 17.06 a late one.
Freddie Turner was the only one who flew the task in his ASG 29es under 1 hour and won the day.[ speed 86 km./h.]
Task 4 was longer so better weather; 229,91 km; long or short,…no worries for Finn he is “hot”!!!! He won again now with a speed of 107 km./h. Henry was runner up and Thom was 4th. Good practice that Junior EGC.
Toby had a less good day ,he was out after 248 km.
More next week.

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Last Saturday was a real good August day for soaring specially in France and Italy. The German squad flies from Puimoisson and have a great time “in Paradise” as they call it. Max Schaefer flew in the VENTUS 3 a distance of 1.052 km. Good on him.
Michael Sommer did so too in the EB 29R.
Rubbiano in Italy had 2 x a 1000 km. flight one by Vitotio Pinni in the LS 8/18 m.!!!! I knew from my time spend in Rieti he is fast.
Mind you end of August.
The other 1000 was in an ASH 31/21 m. by Giampaolo Bozzetti.
824 km. in an ASW 24 from there ,is worth mentioning as well.
Bert Schmelzer jr. started in his Ventus 3 from Hausen am Albis in Switzerland; 872 km. I really like his comment.
“Average speed after 150km: 52 kph …
Luckily, as soon as I entered the aera south of Mont-Blanc climbrates and cloudbase finally became decent.
The main goal of the flight was to check whether the house of my friends Dennis and Loes in Nice was ready for their return after the WGC in Montlucon. Congratulations with your beautiful 3rd place, Dennis!!!
After seeing the Mediterrean Sea it was time to turn around at about 16:00 for the return leg of 400km. Strong climbrates and high cloudbase made progress to the North easy and near Matterhorn I basically was on final glide.
Great day!”
4 PM…pffff…..400 k to go…..

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—-The German juniors have flown their NATIONALS in very bad- weather- circumstances in early August from Burg Feuerstein and here are the results from
CLUB class;
1. Eric Schneider…2. Nils Fecker….3. Toni Kittler
All 3 flew LS 4.
Standard class;
1. Simon Briel….2. Nuno Ferreira…..3. Johannes Dibbern

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News from Australia:
“Gliding Australia has engaged WeGlide to run our decentralized competition so once again we can give a focus to the many wonderful flights done across Australia, and award annual prizes.  Our competition starts on 1 October to March 31 (Summer) and 1 April to 30 Sept (winter).  It will also include the club league (weekends only), Juniors and Women.
In honor of one our most successful international pilots and one of gliding’s true gentlemen, Ingo Renner, we have decided to name our new competition the “Ingo Renner Cup”.

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And to finish…this pretty lousy summer is nearly over. The storks are on their way to better conditions already, smart birds. It really feels like autumn here.

CU next week.
Cheers Ritz