7 years ago (2017-01-25 19:33:02) :
     Please note that it is not normally PWCA policy to encourage any (or indeed 84) paraglider pilots to land on the main runway of an airport.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 18:30:37) :
     An ammendment to an earlier post, well done to both first ladies today, Petra Slivova and Klaudia Bulgakow.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 18:28:19) :
     Pierre Muller, Heinrich Bretz and Michele Boschi have just come into goal. For all three, it's their first Super Final and they are certainly showing that they can hold their own against the more internationally experienced pilots here.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 18:21:14) :
     So far 80 pilots have made goal. 11 pilots are still flying out of a field of 120.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 18:19:19) :
     It's worth noting that some of those who led the initial race for the end of speed section didn't make goal and are now shown on our leader board with a line through their time points, indicating that they will get distance points for today but not time points.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 18:19:12) :
     It's worth noting that some of those who led the initial race for the end of speed section didn't make goal and are now shown on our leader board with a line through their time points, indicating that they will get distance points for today but not time points.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 18:15:12) :
     Well done to brothers Leo and Honorin Hamard also both getting to goal again today - this time it was Leo's turn to get there first - well done Leo.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 18:14:54) :
     Well done to Benedicte Saury and partner Olivier Henry who both got to goal today - up until now they have been taking it in turns. Just for the record, Benedicte got there first a whole 2 minutes before Olivier.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:59:37) :
     First woman across end of speed, Petra Slivova, got to goal 45 seconds after Idris. Petra has had some good tasks so far, 2nd lady (13th overall) on day 3, 3rd lady on days 4 and 5. Well done Petra.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:59:16) :
     I did ask Idris Birch this morning whether he thought much about friends and family watching his live tracker, he said he thought about it a little bit, I bet his paraglider pilot Dave will have been watching his talented son's every thermal today.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:59:00) :
     7 minutes separated the first 60 pilots - incredible for a 112 km task (from take-off to goal). This illustrates the importance of having an end of speed section then space for pilots to take their time and land in goal with no pressure on when they are ready, and prevents 60 pilots racing into the ground together.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:58:43) :
     The first 40 pilots all came in within a minute of each other! Leadout points are going to be very important today.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:58:28) :
     It looks as if time wise, without lead out points, the winners are: Idris Birch, Adrian Hachen, Michael Sigel, Jonathan Marin, Luc Armant, Pierre Remy, Jurij Vidic, Charles Cazaux, Aaron Durogati and Torsten Siegel all came in within 15 seconds of each other.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:58:12) :
     Christian Biasi has just landed in goal

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:57:56) :
     In the blink of an eye 50 pilots have all passed end of speed together!

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:57:41) :
     On the other hand veteran Luca Donini who has flown in all the Super Finals since time began (2009) is right at the front too.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:57:25) :
     It's good to see new comers to the Super Final out in front, this is Oguzkan Sadeer's first.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:57:11) :
     Yigit Yildirim, Oguzkan Sadeer and Francisco Javie Reina Lagos are 4km out from end of speed and should get there on a glide. It looks like Julien Wirtz has had to stop to get a bit more height.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:56:56) :
     They are 7km from the end of speed. Once again this is going to be very close. Julien Wirtz is out in front but lower than the rest, this is going to be a tight glide for him.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:56:41) :
     The leaders are on their final glide to end of speed: Francisco Javie Reina Lagos, Yoann Chavanne, Eugene Claase, Julien Wirtz, Antoine Gerin-jean and Klaudia Bulgakow. They are high and should all make it.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:56:26) :
     South African Eugene Claase is at the front at the moment, this is only his second ever PWC - his first was the 2016 PWC in Reunion in October where he flew a 2 liner wing for the first time. Well done to Eugene - wow - what a steep learning curve!

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:56:11) :
     French pilot Yoann Chavanne is out in front too. He's no stranger to winning tasks in comps with a very high level of pilot. He won a task in the PWC in Montalegre in 2015. He did very well in the first 3 days of that comp which were similar to the conditions in GV. He won the 1st task in the 2015 PWC in Switzerland. He's very versatile and consistent.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:55:55) :
     Francisco Javie Reina Lagos who has a proven track record here is one of 2 front runners at the moment. He's had some good days here this comp, 6th on day 1, 3rd on day 5.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:55:40) :
     Height wise there isn't much in it, the leaders are all about 600 m above the ground at altitudes of around 1600m.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:55:25) :
     3 out of the 11 women here have flown in all the Super Finals since time began (2009). This shows the phenomenally high level of experience of the women in this competition. The men in the competition can't boast the same staying power - only 8 out of 110 have competed in all the Super Finals.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:55:08) :
     Klaudia Bulgakow is right at the front. She's doing so well in this competition - 1st lady on days 2, 4 and 5. She's done a lot to promote women's paragliding so it's great to see her doing so well.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:54:52) :
     Avid adventure athlete Stanislav Mayer is currently at the front. He has done very well over the last few years in endurance competitions like the X-Pyr and the X-Alps which could stand him in good stead for a long haul competition like the Super Final spread over 11 days (1 mandatory rest day) with long tasks like today's one - 106 km.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:54:35) :
     Flying Scotsman Brendan Reid is right with the leaders too. In March last year Brendan did an amazing ice climb and fly off the North Buttress of Buachaille Etive M

7 years ago (2017-01-25 17:54:19) :
     The serial class Zeno, which is a less demanding version of the Enzo 2, seems to have really proved that an easier, safer wing can still have its place in top level races.The results in this race of the Gin Boomerang 11 seem to prove the legitimacy of Gin's promise to make big improvement in performance, especially in sinking air, whilst keeping the speed of the Boomerang 10. Well done to both manufacturers.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:46:27) :
     Michael Sigel on the Gin Boomerang 11 is right up there with Russel Ogden on the Ozone Zeno. They are both at the same height 1300m, flying at the same speed 45 km/h and both in 1m/s buoyant air. Wow what a race.%D%A

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:42:20) :
     Russell Ogden is currently in the lead - I can almost hear his wife and 2 daughters cheering him on from the South of France.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:40:31) :
     The race is now on for the end of speed section at the airport by the main road south of Governador Valadares. Don't worry we did check this morning that the aeroplanes were having an afternoon off today.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:38:10) :
     The top 50 have now all got the turn point. %D%A%D%A

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:37:17) :
     It's a real battle as to who is going to get the 3rd turn point first. It looks like Russell Ogden, Aaron Durogati, Damien Lacaze, Bjornar Trondsen, Michael Sigel, Joachim Oberhauser, Patrick Von Kaenel and Adrian Hachen have all got it pretty much together.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:31:30) :
     Luca Donini is higher flying at 57 km/h and about to get the third turn point.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:30:37) :
     Mathias Ioualalen is in the lead but very low flying at 33 km/h

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:10:35) :
     Great task setting today has spread the pilots out so much. Felix Rodriguez Fernandez %D%Ais in the middle right out on his own.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:09:06) :
     This was one of the tactical moves being discussed at launch - how to reduce the distance of the into wind leg between turn points 2 and 3 where pilots have to fly into wind but can make it more down wind the further north they take the cylinder.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:06:25) :
     It's interesting to see that the lead gaggle are flying directly south rather than the shortest route east to the next turn point.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:04:34) :
     Yury Mishanin is right behind them. He's Russia's version of Britain's James Bond. We're all hoping that he will be 7th overall so that next year his number will be 007.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:03:04) :
     Yoshiaki Hirokawa and Francisco Mantaras have got the turn point.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:02:58) :
     Yoshiaki Hirokawa and Francisco Mantaras have got the turn point.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:02:51) :
     Yoshiaki Hirokawa and Francisco Mantaras have got the turn point.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:02:19) :
     Rafael Saladini and Francisco Javie Reina Lagos have got the 2nd turn point.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 16:01:09) :
     Jungman Choi has taken the lead, this is his 1st Super Final, 10th on day 5 - definitely yet another South Korean to watch.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:58:34) :
     Francisco Javie Reina Lagos is about to get the 2nd turn point.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:57:05) :
     Klaudia Bulgakow is currently in second place - she's just back from filming a car advert in Patagonia and Chile, a Polish film company are currently following her competition progress so we're looking forward to seeing that when it's finished.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:54:32) :
     There are once again some new faces at the front of the lead gaggle. Jan Sterren, Jonathan Marin and Patrick Von Kaenel have just taken the lead.%D%A%D%AThis is such a close competition

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:49:23) :
     On a day where it's good for pushing out on your own you always have to keep an eye on Yassen Savov's whereabouts. He's in the middle of the stragglers to the east and the main gaggle pushing forwards to the west. A question we frequently ask in PWC's: 'What has Yassen got up his speed arms? What is his idea of where to go?'

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:46:28) :
     Francisco Javie Reina Lagos is currently out in front but a few hundred metres lower than the rest. We are seeing a lot of this today, they push out then have to stop to top up on height at which point those behind them go past, proving how difficult it is to push out in this level of competition and with so many experienced pilots right behind you.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:43:44) :
     All eyes in the 4 remaining tasks will be on pilots like Rafael Saladini who are capable of pulling away from the lead gaggle. Pilots who are consistently breaking away and getting lead-out points are: Tim Bollinger, Stefan Wyss, Honorin Hamard, Maxime Pinot, Samuel Nascimento, Russel Ogden, Manuel Quintanilla, Rafael Saladini, Michael Sigel and Adrian Hachen.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:40:42) :
     Rafael Saladini is absolutely on it today. He's certainly no stranger to being out in front in a PWC. He was 8th in the PWC in Portugal last year where he was 2nd in 2 tasks and won the final task.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:38:39) :
     The group to the west led by Rafael Saladini seem to be doing best at the moment.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:37:16) :
     Acro and Super Final pilot, Adrian Hachen told me that what he prefers in a PWC compared to acro comps are the tactics required to do well in a PWC task. He likes flying in a little group and seeing how that works better than flying on your own. That's the most interesting thing about a competition

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:34:48) :
     Jose Luis Sudbrack Guimaraes is between the 2 groups (one big gaggle to the west and a smaller group to the east). Today seems to have given a lot more opportunity to fly out on your own.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:33:00) :
     As one of our previous days winners has just discovered, it's very easy to get stuck low on the rolling hills here and watch the entire race fly over your head.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:31:41) :
     The main gaggle led by Rafael Saladini are taking a much more easterly route. Rafael is flying at 58 km/h and currently maintaining rather than climbing.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:28:50) :
     Denis Chouraqui, Felix Rodriguez Fernandez and Cristiano Ricci seem to have gone right into the cylinder and are taking a more easterly route.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:24:33) :
     Today they seem to be a lot higher although Felix Rodriguez Fernandez is having to stop and look for a climb at the moment.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:23:05) :
     Over the last few tasks there hasn't been much height to fly in here because base has been fairly low making the glides shorter due to the lack of height. Therefore pilots were getting stuck and left with not many choices. Only the bravest have been happy to leave the safety of the gaggle hence the bunched up nature of some of the gaggles we've seen.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:19:13) :
     Most of the pilots are very close together bunched around the cylinder.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:17:17) :
     The current leaders are Cristiano Ricci, Felix Rodriguez Fernandez and Tilen Ceglar.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:16:14) :
     They are now going to have a strong wind behind them as they fly south west to the second turn point which is an exit cylinder.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:12:09) :
     The top 30 have all now got the first turn point, this is very fast.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:09:32) :
     Next is Manuel Quintanilla, Cristiano Ricci and Jose Luis Sudbrack Guimaraes

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:08:01) :
     The leaders are now approaching the first turn point which is an entry cylinder, acro champ Felix Rodriguez Fernandez is in the lead.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 15:05:58) :
     After 3 tasks in the top 5 followed by 3 not so good days, how will reigning champion Stefan Wyss get on today? %D%A%D%AOn the last task he didn't have much luck with his retrieve either as the friendly farmer giving him a lift ran out of petrol after 1km. %D%A'At least there were no power lines where I landed, only cows,' said Stefan, who always looks on the bright side of life.%D%A

7 years ago (2017-01-25 14:54:04) :
      There are a lot of still photos on the website too now.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 14:53:00) :
      Don't forget to keep up with the comp on World Cup TV. The amazing footage was filmed by Philippe Broers who not only flys the task but films it all too.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 14:50:30) :
      Well done to all our partners' teams.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 14:46:53) :
     8 The team competition is also proving interesting. On day 5 Gin Gliders won with Aaron Durogati, Torsten Siegel, Michael Sigel and Petra Slivova. Day 6 Ozone won with Honorin Hamard, Luc Armant, Russell Ogden and Seiko Fukuoka Naville.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 14:32:35) :
      The window is open. Now they go south to turn pt 1.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 14:27:30) :
      The field has already divided into 2 groups those above launch with a more cross wind route and those further east with the NE wind more behind them.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 14:18:18) :
      Russell Ogden said that he and his fellow Brits are flying in honour of Guy Anderson who has sadly had to withdraw from the comp with a broken ankle. He was in 2nd place.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 14:13:45) :
      A third of the pilots have already climbed out and are high, a third are low to the east of launch and a third are just launching

7 years ago (2017-01-25 14:10:37) :
      The steady stream of pilots landing in the bushes just below take-off is keeping the Brazilian press busy and fit running up and down the grassy bank.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 14:08:28) :
      Launch is not proving to be easy as the shade and thermals come and go.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 14:05:28) :
      After Samuel Nascimento winning the last task the Brazilian media are out on launch in force this morning, cables are strewn everywhere.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 13:56:41) :
      I've just asked top woman pilot Petra Slivova about her tactics for today - get high and stay high she replied grinning

7 years ago (2017-01-25 13:53:34) :
      Nose cones are on, pee tubes are attached and they're off.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 13:52:12) :
      Russell Ogden told me from a tactical route pt of view he will start the task with an open mind, try to get the start as high as possible then see how it goes.

7 years ago (2017-01-25 13:49:28) :
      Window is open there seems no rush to take off but the thermals are beginning to start.