SECOND TASK WON BY GRICAR (GER); SECOND NEUENSCHWANDER (SWI) AND THIRD RUHMER (AUT)
After the first task of yesterday, the first one of XXI World Hang Gliding Championship, pilots started also today from Meduno, Monte Valinis. The task of today was really long, of 136,3 km. The 121 pilots took off from monte Valinis to Montereale Valcellina, Gemona del Friuli (second turning point at about 40km from the first one), Pradielis, Villa Santina (near Enemonzo, residence of Suan Selenati, the Italian third of yesterday) and then flew to south, direction Venzone, Gemona del Friuli and then to Bordano, for landing. Also for FAI, this was a “classic task in the north of Alps”, hard to fly.
After the take off, all the pilots were together, tried to catch thermals to increase their altitude. Ciech (winner of yesterday), Primoz Gricar (from Germany), Swiss Peter Neuenschwander (fifth in the first task), Manfred Ruhmer (Austria), John Smith (New Zealand) and a lot of pilots, had a stop near Monte Chiampon, which is one of the sites where usually pilots try to go up in the sky when flying in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Selenati (Ita) chose the second window for take off, landing with the best time but classifying fourth for the leading points difference.
At about half flight, followers (including Italians Guiducci and Gervasoni) rejoined the head of the race, made a group of about twenty hang gliders fighting for the success.
Coming back to Bordano, they met two troubles: the first one near Tolmezzo, where sun disappeared and pilots risked to lose altitude; the second one near Venzone, where due to “Venturi effect”, the turning point was really small to avoid the possibility to lose altitude by strong winds.
Neuenschwander, Ciech and Gricar arrived to escape; Ciech felt too low and took a thermal, but it was not the best decision because he lost a lot of time, losing the possibility to win again and caught by Italian Laurenzi and Brazilian Pinto, both in the top ten of yesterday.
Austrian Ruhmer shocked suddendly everybody, using a different route becoming the leader, but losing altitude after some chilometres before the landing in Bordano, anticipated by Gricar (Germany) and Neuenschwander (Switzerland): all these teams will fight together with Italy for the gold medal.
First of Italian team Ciech (fourth) with the same points of Selenati; sixth Ploner and eight Laurenzi, one of the top young pilots.
This is the classification for the ten pilots in goal; after all checks, it will be available at the website https://airtribune.com/22nd-fai-world-hg-championship/results. We remind also that on our official FB page we will publish the unofficial results of the task every evening and every morning, the official overall one. Fotogallery of the day is published on FB.
1.Primoz Gricar (GER) 03.08.23
2.Peter Neuenschwander (SWI) 03.08.29
3.Manfred Ruhmer (AUT) 09.06
4.Christian Ciech (ITA) 03.12.33
4. Suan Selenati (ITA) 3.00.05
6.Alex Ploner (ITA) 03.13.48
7.Glauco Pinto (BRA) 03.14.07
8.Marco Laurenzi (ITA) 03.18.11
9.Gerd Doenhuber (GER) 03.18.41
10.Mario Alonzi (FRA) 03.18.41