I counted 11 gliders on the ridge at one point...including 4 Duo's. Even Tauranga's GXT made it across after a long tow into wind. And for the record a little Discus with water is an even match for the Duo with 2 pilots and a motor...it might even be faster...
Unfortunately only 3 Duo's landed back as one ended up upside down in a tree...both pilots were OK but that may not be true of the Duo.
It took until about 1pm for the sky to clear properly...then it was all on.
Wind was 230-245 degrees at 20-38 knots. Perfect for fast times on the Kaimai ridge.
Tracks and times will appear in due course on the MSC site - http://msc.powersite.co.nz/kaimai-speed-challenge/
Seems a lot of times were posted at 30-35 minutes for the 100 kms. That would give an average speed of almost 200kph. Not bad.
I'm not sure I could go much faster...hitting bumps at 125 knots isn't a lot of fun for either me or my little bit of glass.
Sorry about the crap photo's...trying to fly at 100 plus knots, hold a camera and keep a good lookout is a bit beyond my skills. I ended up with a lot of blur's that were probably a glider, or a scrtach on my canopy.
Those with sharp eyes will notice this is not GXT but GDX...looks just the same in the air.
So all in all a good start to the season.
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