Portugal 2000 results

Saturday 23th

Weather is not at the "rendez vous"
No more taskS will be run and the competition is over.
Classification remains the same than after the task 4.

Thanks for the Organisation crew leaded by Luis Miguel Matos who provided one of the best event management we ever had..

This PWC will mark the history as the first one where a pilot wins using a serial class glider.Congratulations to Andrew Smith.

The podium is :

Overall classification
1st - ANDREW SMITH - South Africa - Apco Bagheera M
2nd - FRANCK BROWN - Brazil - Nova Krypton 25 / Red Bull
3nd - YVES GOUESLAIN - France - Edel Millennium 2000 / Sup'Air - Invicta - Salomon - Trespass - Lazer - Pro Rider

Women classification
1st - LOUISE CRANDAL - Denmark - Gin Boomerang L / Land Rover
2nd - KRAUSOVA Petra - Czech Republic - Mac Para Sense 24
3nd - LANSDELL Carolyn - Switzerland - Edel Millennium 2000 S / Knock Out

FINAL RESULTS

Competition results
Overall
Serial class
Women
Constructor
Constructor serial class
Nation

PWC ranking after Portugal
Overall
Serial class
Women
Constructor
Constructor serial class
Nation

Friday 22th

Still too much wind... 50km/h at take off
The race is cancelled for today.
Kitesurfing once again, pilots are getting better each days.

Thursday 21th

Wind and stability.
After a long wait at take off, no task was finally set.
Pilots flew for themselves to the village of Montalegre.

Conditions are stable and the task setting is very difficult. Finally the pilot committee is deciding a race to goal going west of take-off and back to the city of Baltar in Spain.
After a very nice start of race, pilots are flying over a very stable area. Most of them are landing together in the highest Portugese village. Only 18 pilots are flying the PWC validation distance. This task is scored only for the Portugese competition and not for the PWC.

PWC classification after task 4 - Open Class

PWC classification after task 4 - Serial Class

Even if conditions are still improving, a risk of thunderstorm forces the organisor to set a short task.

As the race is running, the wind is getting stronger and every part of the task against it are more difficult.
Only 30 pilots succeed to reach the goal.

Another race to goal, 48.5 km to the airport of Chavez.
After a difficult start under the take off, pilots just succeed to reach the clouds just before the opening of the start.
Volker Nies arrives at goal at the 1st position 1h40mn after startpoint.30 pilots are in goal after a beautiful task.

Strong wind at take off during afternoon. The start was opened at 17h.
Very good conditions for this second task. Three pilots are reaching the goal and the swiss Rene Hauser wins the race.

Race to goal, 50.1 km.After waiting a few hours at take off where the pilots can enjoy music, live folk bands, food and free coffee (Bicafe, one of the sponsors of the event), a late start is happening at 5pm. The task is going to the city of Verin in Spain and coming back to the south to the goal in Chavez. The goal is the local airport but today the traffic is only with limp wings. Only three pilots are making goal, swiss Rene Hauser crossing the line 1h43mn after startpoint, followed by french Valery Montand and swiss Alex Hofer. Patrick "Big" Berod is landing 50 m short of goal.The danish Louise Crandal (Gin Boomerang) is in 6^th position and well placed in the general ranking.Olivier Loiodice (Flying Planet Whisper) is winning in serial class.

Task 1 is a race to goal of 47.6 km. The cloudbase is very low and 40 pilots are bombing out very soon, in the 7 km before the startpoint. Then, they are flying over Montalegre in the direction of the first turnpoint, a dam ing a big lake. Perhaps the people living in the old villages under the water are calling the pilots ?They all land right after the dam. Yvan Boullen, the new french weapon, manages to fly 29.8 km and wins this daily task.