Alphen aan den Rijn Friday August 19 2011 ritzdeluy@hotmail.com
Both pictures courtesy Katja Soikeli. Fun and rest after parties and crewing show the JWGC at it’s best.
Looking back on Musbach;
Sunday…..the top pilots who found in the rain a safe landing place, some after just not yet 30 km. must have hoped that it would not be a valid day this sunday. Tragic bad weather with showers and more showers and it was nearly impossible to go on track. But…in the end in both classes pilots finished. In club Dutch pilot Tim , already runner up in the 2009 Europeans, arrived back in the rain, flying the 238 km. in nearly 5 hours BUT HE WAS BACK. Sole finisher in club , gaining 548 points and climbing overall to 3 behind the 2 young German pilots.
In standard class unfortunately NOT ENOUGH over 100 km-pilots. BUT also here 3 heroes who finished, what a pity for them, that the day turned out invalid!! But great class!!!!!They deserved more then ZERO points!!!!
Monday;official rest day and good days to arrive with up to 32 dgr. ! International evening was very succesful!!
After fun and rest, utmost concentration for the pilots . Courtesy Katja Soikeli.
Tuesday; The expectatation was for finally a great day, but in the morning the pilots woke up with 6/8 of alto cumulus and still a lot of moisture in the air . Another more then though day asking for all skills from each pilot. After postponing the start they finally were launched at 1 PM.
for club and even later for standard hoping that the overcast would have passed.
Nobody except ONE pilot , Filip Levine, the current JWGC champion, finished. Great job! Luckily for him MORE then 25 % were over 100 km. so he really won the day!!!
Clubclass outlanded about 20 km in front of the goal.
After 5 “flying-days” , on which pilots REALLY had to work, you can call it caracter building, but I do not know about that the overall scores showed the next points:
Club ;
1. Tobias Welsch [ Germany ] 3430 points
2. Alexander Späth [Germany] 3428 points
3. Tim Kuijpers [Netherlands] 3392 points
Standard;
1. Filip Levine [Germany ] 2532 points
2. Radek Krejcirik [ Czech Rep] 2249 points
3. Kristian Larsen [Denmark] 2248 points
As you see enough excitement with 3 days to go [last day Friday August 19]
Wednesday;Still not a real great soaring day this day 5 , but getting better. Still showers en route and pilots who were forced to out land. “Only” 11 this time in the 2 classes , so MUCH better then the days before with ONLY outlandings.Felt sorry for Horatio from Argentina. Nice fellow, good pilot. Till yesterday on spot 5 overall but this day he was one of the “outlanders ” after 124 km, while the others flew the racing task from 237.4 km..He dropped to 16.
The atmosphere seems to be more then good, that’s important as well. The karaoke evening was a succes I heard!
Thursday last but one day!!!!!And…another difficult day!! Brian, the chief-steward could not find really usable thermals , so the AAT for club class was changed to 1.30 after a meeting on the grid from the TC’s. First launch at 14.15.
In between the weather had improved , not only bleu thermals but also some cumili!! And…base at 2400 m!!!!! The young pilots might get scared after so many low days.
A day , and this is very special, it DID NOT work for the German team. Sebastian Nägel won and flew SUPER , but the numbers 1 and 2 [Alexander and Tobias only were 26 and 27 OUCH!!!!!]overall lost lot’s of points making it possible for our Tim Kuijpers to get on spot ONE overall!!!! Great effort!!! Of course he was already runner up during the EGC 2009, but being ONE on the last day on a JWGC , specially with these weather circumstances, is perfect!!!!!
9 outlandings in standard class and one young Aussie did nor fly due to problems with himself and his glider and weird but true the young pilot from the USA seems to have been asked to leave the team for disciplinait reasons!!!! He even won 2 days!!!’
Friday today; lots’s of efforts to get pilots in the air; tasks were handed, gliders on the grid etc but the weather looked SH;;;;!!! They first cancelled standard class making German Pilot Filip Levin Junior WORLD CHAMPION for the 2d time. Good on him, congratulations.
Then the club was cancelled as well….hurray for Tim who won!!!!! The German team was really happy for a last day, to get things straight but…the weather gods said ENOUGH!!!!
Rene, 2009 European champion and Tim [r] JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPION [archive]
Uvalde; On the official pre-world-site was written, that the last day was on the 14th and the Awards dinner as well. It is still there and called “preliminary!”
But…. on soaringspot the comps continued. They should do better in 2012.
So we just continue! There were day 6 and 7 but day 8 was special.On day 8 Gary Ittner flew with a speed of 150 km. over a 3.30 AAT making 564 km. in 18 m.class.
In 15 m.148 km./h. WOW, over 599 km. in Ventus 2 AX.
More news on Sunday!!! Guests have just left , but I wanted to quickly give you an update. Cheers Ritxz