Breathtaking Views and a Low Save Just Before ESS

On Task 5, the predicted light winds offered a fantastic opportunity to explore the north, reaching all the way to Lake Salda, with some tricky sections along the way. A challenging 121km optimized task was set, with the start time at 12:50, giving athletes ample time to secure a good start position. Large portions of the task were flown under convergence lines. As Violeta and Martin shared afterward, “I think it was a very smart task. We had a few turn points that were between the convergences. You could fly the convergence, but to take the turnpoint, you had to step out of it. So it was very interesting.” The race course once again offered different lines with multiple cloud streets.

Just before reaching the goal, the gaggle had everyone holding their breath as they came in very low and then caught a last-minute thermal around 50-100m AGL. “When we came to the final glide, there were two good-looking cloud streets. We were sure we would make it with a glide. But as we approached the goal, those cloud streets started dying…” Martin Jovanoski recounted after this dramatic low save.

Martin Jovanoski won this task and therefore is keeping his overall first place, while Violeta Jimenez came in 5th on task 5 and is now on the overall podium in third position!