Saturday 25 January 2014

2013 Super Final - Govenador Valadares - Task 9


In another bout of glider controversy, Lucas and Joel from team ABAC/Niviuk publicly withdrew from the competition in protest about the Enzo2 saga.  Lucas read a short and dignified statement at the task briefing.  Joel and Lucas are highly respected on tour and extremely likable.  They are not prone to hysteria so it has to be the most understated yet potent condemnation.  Lucas still flew with us to goal yesterday but did not submit a score.  Respect!!

Appeal to you all: Don't listen to all the garbage about how competition flying is dead or dying and pointless.  Those commentators clearly have no idea what we do and why we do it at this level.  They most certainly have not been drinking at the trough of abundance as we have in this task-laden competition.  

Yesterday was a flying festival if ever I have seen one.  We were sent downwind on a low-risk safety task of almost one hundred kilometers over some of the loveliest terrain below a gorgeous sky.  The gaggles were co-operative, generous and enthusiastic often yelling with glee just about every time we climbed to base in the potent and smooth thermals conveniently marked by every cloud.  

The lead gaggle was populated by many of the usual suspects and the first fifty rushed into goal separated by five minutes.  Two hours fourteen is quick for the distance and should give you some indication of conditions.  We flew this task a full hour faster than the previous day.  In the end Stefan Drouin inched Luca Donini out by a few seconds.

Team South Africa arrived early with Anton and Andre in the top ten.  Anton is clinging onto a top twenty position.

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