Post 1.526 on August 19 2024

TABOR 22d FAI EGC
3 August 2024 – 17 August 2024

The last days in Tabor must have been not only exciting , but also tiring.
In “my” time ,6 consecutively days of flying , was the norm, nowadays it can even be 8 , as in Tabor and that in the heat.

Anyhow they flew on Wednesday, as I mentioned, but you did not get the results of that day.| So we continue;
Wednesday August 14 task 9 out of 11;
15 m; 2.45 AAT….3 International pilots in the top 3 and all of them have won comps already. Uwe Wahlig in the Ventus 3 T, was the daily winner with 351.87 km in 2.52 so a speed of 122.26 km./h. That was 7 km./h faster than Lucasz [Grabowski] from Poland and Rasmus from Denmark.
27 participants and 2 HC pilots flew the task and 7 were “out”.
Our Dutch mate, Stephan who was proudly on spot 1 overall for many days, went to spot 2 behind Lucasz Stephan was unfortunately on spot 15 for the day.
After so many days still incorrect PEV’s.
Standard; 2.30 AAT....and French pilot Julien Duboc was the daily best with 279 km and a speed of 111.40 km./h. Just a tad faster than the German pilots Robin and Simon with 110 km./h.
32 and 1 HC pilot started and 4 did not finish.
Robin passed Jan overall due to his runner up spot , though Jan was on good daily spot 5 , the difference is very small; 6.024 for 6.007!!!!
Even more incorrect PEV’s in this class.
club; 3 hour AAT…7 were “out” in this class but they all flew between 230 and 279 km. A pity. The daily best were the Slovakian pilots in their ASW 20; 98 km/ h over 314 km. Josef Kozar and David Darnady.
The overall top 3 stayed as it was over the last days with 2 more tasks to go.

Michaela ‘s words on this day;
“Our Competition Day 9 was full of surprises for the competitors. All the classes flew an AAT task with standard class having 2:30, 15m class 2:45, and club class flying 3 hours. The day started with blue thermals with ceilings at 1000m AGL after release, but during the launches the conditions improved gradually and some of the pilots got so lucky, that they managed to find a wave and climbed over 2700 m AMSL. Fortunately, for the ones who did not find the wave there was a pre-start altitude limit of 1800 m AMSL to decrease the possible effect of this luck.
During the task most of the pilots headed south, and found a convergence line along the Šumava mountains, but getting back was the key to success as many pilots arrived before the minimum time, and had to use very weak climbs to just touch the last areas and arrive home safely.
It was a tough day, so we hope today [ Thursday] will be more rewarding for the less unfortunate ones yesterday, and we already look forward to your success on another racing task.“
Let’s look at that Thursday straight away;

Thursday August 15 task 10 out of 12 and 7th consecutively day….penultimate day!

15 m; 375.61 km….a 1000 points day, so much to win or loose. Marius Pluscauskas from Lithuania was the daily winner and the 1000 points went into his “pocket”. Polish pilot Lucasz G and Pawel were on 2 and 3 whilst Uwe and Rasmus hold on.
27 started and 5 were “out”.
Lucasz leads overall with 1 day to go, and Uwe past our Stephan to spot 2.
I read about Uwe, that he was lucky to fly along a huge shower “giving” him a line of uplift along the sector line. An average of 180 km./h over the last half hour, not bad!!! [courtesy Sander Terpstra Dutch TC]
But 6 pilots [ Lucasz, Uwe, Stephan, Pawel, Karel and Marius] still have chances as the overall scores are between 7.504 and 7.5800 except for Lucasz who leads now with nearly 150 points. I think Uwe thinks; “I can do that” and Lucasz and Pawel think so too. Exciting last day.

standard; 403.38 km…..Robin Sittmann from Germany won the day and the 1000 points and after task 7 he moved slowly more and more to the top overall. After task 7 from 9 to 6, from 6 to 3 and to 2 and on the last but one day to the TOP.
“Disaster “struck for Norbert who proudly leaded the overall top for many days, but today on task 10 he did not finish! He was out after 216 km loosing nearly 700 points and dropping from 1 to 10. I can’t remember an EGC or WGC or JWGC or WWGC , with such big differences in scores.
All in all 10 did not finish. Also our hope Robin ,who was out after 364 km. and Frank after 185 km.
Robin leads with “only” 18 points on 3 strong Czech pilots, Jan, Miloslav and Lukas and believe me they will do their utmost best to win this EGC. Robin may expect help from his mate Simon, now on spot 5.

Club;  407.64 km….Roelof Corporaal [The Netherlands] gained the 1000 points and I can only be happy with that as I know him as an excellent pilot.; 97.14 km./h. in his LS7WL. This EGC started badly for him as on task 1 he only flew 61 km for 114 points , due to changed weather conditions.
Today he started very EARLY , [ 12.57] long time ahead of the gaggles, [ mainly at 13.30!!!] , could fly his own race and won the day. LIKE!!!!
The last days the 3 pilots on top in the overall scores hold their places, with a daily spot 11 for Tomas, [ 915 points] 13 for Jacek [911] and 18 for Gvidas. [879]
39 started and 6 were out.

Why some pilots got into had trouble is explained by Michaela;
“our pilots successfully completed another racing task, that was up to 407 km long. The weather improved compared to the previous days, so sniffer was not even necessary, and all the pilots took off into a sky full of cumuli. In 15m class and in club class it proved to be beneficial to leave in an earlier interval, and use the full day, as the weather turned into blue at several sections of the task, and the pilots had to deviate a lot. In standard class, majority of the pilots started the task after 14:10 and even though as a group they flew fast, they had to optimise with 0.5 m thermals on the final glide.”

Friday, August 16 task 11 out of 13!!!!!!LAST DAY!!!!

Michaela starts the day optimistic;
“the weather is promising for another exciting task, so we do hope our pilots stay safe even on the last competition day, and simply enjoy their final flight at the EGC.”
So do I.

15m; 3.15 AAT....Danish pilot Filip Bojanowski in the AS33es won the last day;131 km./h. over 455 km!!!! Lukas and Pawel followed which says enough of the final scores. No worries they are excellent pilots.
Uwe lost 107 points and Rasmus 130.
All pilots started and 3 were out.

FINAL RESULTS in 15 m. after 11 out of 13 days;
1. Lukasz Grabowski Poland in SZD-56-2 Diana 2 with 8,728 points. CONGRATULATIONS Lukas!!!!European CHAMPION!!!!!
2. Pawel Wojciechowski Poland in Diana 2 fes with 8,526 points and vice European champion.
3. Karel Novak Czech Rep in Ventus2ax with 8,508 points.
Moving from 2 to 4 was the result for Uwe Wahlig,[Germany] who had an equal 4th spot with  Marius Pluscauskas from Lithuania.
Also worthwhile mentioning is the 6th result from “our” Dutch pilot Stephan who leaded the overall scores for several days.

Standard; 3 hour AAT…The 2 pilots who had to take some less good results during this EGC, as Jeroen from Belgium and Norbert from Romania, showed what the can on this last day; number 1 and 2!!!!!!Jeroen Jennen won the day in his Discus 2T ; speed 126.77 km./h. over 382 km. Norbert Scarlat in Discus 2A ;125.29 km./h.[376 km]
Another “weird” result for Aude who won a day and now was on 31 , one but last. Very inconsistent weather. Robin was 19th but hold on to the title with 15 points.

Final results in standard class after 11 out of 13 days;
1.  Robin Sittmann Germany in Discus 2a with 8,586 points. EUROPEAN CHAMPION!!!!Good on you.
2. Jan Pavlik Czech Rep in LS8 b with 8,571 points.
3. Miloslav Cink Czech Rep in LS 8b with 8,541 points
4. Lukas Kriz Czech Repin LS8a with 8,533 points all very close so worth mentioning.
Also for junior Henry from the UK who was 5th with 8,486 points.

Club; 3.30 AAT… the “poor little ones” get al lot of kilometres to fly. Also today; Hugo Corbille won with a nice speed of 111 km./h over 398 km!!! In his LS7 neo.
From 40, 2 did not start anymore and 2 were “out”.
The top 3 did not change Jacek and Tomas kept a eye on each other and did that so well that they were equal on a 3d daily spot.

Overall scores after 11 out of 13 days;
1. Jacek Flis Poland in LS3WL with 9,763 points. EUROPEAN CHAMPION!!! Great job Jacek!
2. Tomas Suchanek Czech Rep in ASW 20 with 9,531 points.
3.  Gvidas Sabeckis Lithuania in ASW 20 a with 9,458 points.
JUNIOR Kim from Finland was on spot 4 with 9,354 points. Good on him!!!

For the last time junior pilot, great, observative writer for the comps and good photographer; Michaela Rendlová
“In the meantime, let’s say an enormous thank you to the organisation team here in Tábor. Huge thanks to all the young, always helpful, and cheerful, staff members, who took care of all grid procedures each day. Thanks to the tow pilots, who stayed very concentrated and caring throughout the whole competition. Thanks to the local club members, who organised all the background operations and enabled the competition to run smoothly and seamlessly. A big thanks goes also to the FAI representatives, who were always around to keep an eye on everything and provide a helping hand in any troubles. Consequently, a tremendous job was also done by the ones often unseen, like the deputy director and starter Tomas Rendla, the brilliant scorer Hynek Chovan, and the funniest meteorologist on planet Jan Horák. Thanks guys for your never-ending effort. And the biggest thanks goes to the competition director, Matej Rendla, for his professional, yet attentive and helpful attitude, and for all his time devoted to the championship during the past three weeks, but also much longer before.”

I was n’t there, but I know how tough an stressful an organisation can be , so indeed THANK you also on behalf of the “followers” and readers at home.
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38th FAI WGC
Uvalde Garner Field in Texas
18 August 2024 – 31 August 2024

Wish I was there.
1991;
–Thinking of the Purple Sage , where we went for line dancing, after some practice first in front of our motel 6.
–seeing Baer’s happy face ,and that from his wife Chris[ R.I.P] when he was for the 2d time world champion and I congratulated him as “his “TC on the side of the road,
–listening to the music from Brad Edwards in front of the Hilton [hotel in the middle of the night,] who was world champion that year too,
–the final party in the Huffstutler mansion with huge garden and with all the guests it still seemed small, –the air conditioned-auditorium where the briefing was every day and where we heard for the first time about loggers [little black boxes with all info, so no barograph or camera anymore]
–Still thinking of young Anssi [Finland] who got killed in an air- collision , a whole life in front of him and it stopped there at the WGC he had dreamed of.

2012;
–writing for the boys Rand and Bill from soaring café, getting to know the USA team really well, as I was somewhere their guest due to Bill who flew in this WGC,
–Mark Huffstutler who invited me kindly in his office to avoid the heat under the tent, BUT,….. only for an hour as others thought I should not be there, [that still hurts] ,
–the Italian party in a beautiful house ,where I went with Tilo and his brother Ralf, who I, after more than 10 years did not recognise,[by the way he did not recognise me too,] but we quickly found out who we were and had a FUN NIGHT
–The party for only pilots and TC’s who were involved in the 1991 WGC. Quite a few, interested to see how many there are now for the 3d time.
–The sing-along evening organised by team Australia with a sterling performance by Ed Kilbourne.,

Great to see more and more news on the internet from several bloggers about the WGC in Uvalde.
It will not be difficult to keep you informed in ” my way”.
When you want to read more about the home team here are the links
Racing Page #usgliderracing
US Teams Page #ussoaringteams
WGC Uvalde Page #USTeamUvalde2024

Get guests for the weekend so quickly this last blog. Mind you scores might still not be official but it is 9 Pm, so…..maybe they are now!

Pictures from the prize giving, I hope and more from Uvalde on Monday.
The osteopath really helped me, 2 days ago, but I should not over -do things. Maybe I am doing that already…..

Cheers Ritz