While waiting for the results from the last day in Benalla here is already the one but last day in 1987. Enjoy!!
Day 11 in 1987 with one day to go…. not a real fabulous day!!!!
It turned not out to be the best day of the comps, for sure yes with the longest tasks. Murmur,like this year, when a big task was set, was there in 1987 as well.
Open had to go for 840 km. standard for 695 and 15 m. for 755 km. Normal distances for Australia but not at comps, not in Australia not at any comps, as there are several level’s of pilots and launching can be time- consuming and …then the day is nearly gone.
Anyhow at this stage, this was the longest distance ever set at a WGC.
[I was so lucky to be at an EGC in Finland [Rayskala] when a 1000 was set in open class and flown by most in 2005.]
Forecast; 32 dgr. C….thermals predicted up to 8500 ft….3-4 octas cu’s and moderate NW winds.
BUT,…already early in the morning the sniffer could not get very high, pilots were launched and at that stage it was BLUE and only up to 4000 ft. Grrrr…… they were not happy with the task setters.
BUT …they went all on track
open; with their longer wings these pilots could make speed enough with hope to make it home. En route the weather improved and thermals up to 8 kt. brought pilots up to 7000 ft. Luckily the pilots passed high as the desert and scrub under them ,did not look very inviting. Late in the afternoon the open class reached the Murray and with Ingo in the lead, yes he who knew this area as the best, all but one of the pilots finished at Benalla.
Ingo won the day still with a speed of 116 km./h Marc was runner up and Bruno 3d, so after such a fight and so many kilometers nothing really changed certainly not in the overall top with Ingo, Bruno and Marc .
Our Dutch pilot Gerrit finished on a good 4th spot.
George and Dennis finished on a 9th spot and en passant flew a new Dutch record over an 850 km. triangle, by taking another startline.
As I read NOW in the Dutch papers I still have, can’t remember to be honest, George flew so many records in Australia and Kees tried hard as well certainly in the practice week in Toc. and sometimes took George’s glider and son for a few “rides” I believe Kees flew his 1000 after the comps in Tocumwal together with Holger and Giles and 4 others.
Kees and Dennis ready for another 1000 km.try and Gerrit gives the last advice.
standard class and 15 m. class; tried hard . 15 m. only reached their last TP at 6 PM and …the wind had changed into a slight head wind.
All crews moved direction Tocumwal and waited there for what would happen.
In the end nobody from these classes finished and the gliders were situated as white dots on the many big paddock’s.
BUT,…..in standard 37 of the 42 pilots had scored better than 942 points , so all not too far out!
2 Daily winners from Sweden and Switzerland Ottoson and Leutenegger both 1000 popints after 674 km.
In 15 m. same story. A good Dutch day for our Daan Pare who flew 726 from the 755 set km. He received the 1000 daily points. Martyn Wells flew 714 km.
Those who landed did so in mostly very isolated areas , no secret that most were back “home ” in the early hours of the last flying day!!!!
Daan ready to go.
With one more day to go the scores were;
standard class;
1.Markku Kuittinen [Finland] with 9551 points
2. Michael Opitz [USA] with 9366
3. Jacques Aboulin [France] with 9245
15 m. class ;
1. Brian Spreckley [UK] with 9351 points
2. Holger Back [Germany] 9254
3. Doug Jacobs [USA] 9155
open class;
1. Ingo Renner [Australia] with 10.030 points
2. Marc Schroeder [France] 9851
3. Bruno Gantenbrink [Germany] 9826, then it still was western Germany. Times have changed!!!
SO one more day to go!!!
FLYING DAY 12.
As they said in FINALGLIDE on the last but one day, ” If anyone was going to make a move up the scoresheet, it would have to wait until the last day. IF anyone had energy left.”
You have to wait a bit longer for day 12, but it will be there today!