Competition News

Text by Bruno Liard

The 75km task of the day was known to be fairly short due to the good and strong thermal conditions of the Vosges announced.
After a very bad start (at least 500m below the highest gaggle), the only way to recover that disadvantage was to push full bar on the optimise line and to screen the thermals to turn only the big ones. The leading gaggle made the mistake to turn some 2-3m/s thermals, instead of looking only for the 4-5m/s ones. Just before the second turn point, I found a massive 6m/s climb and I overflew the leading gaggle. Then, it was all about finding the best line in order to stay as high as possible, were the thermal were the strongest. Before the last turnpoint, we were four pilots in the « Godzilla » thermal (the thermal in front of the takeoff Le Drummont, named like that by the local pilots). At this point, it was all about calculating and managing the margin for the the final glide of 10km, knowing that the goal was an elevated one of 300m.
I was slightly too conservative and crossed the goal at 360m, second place.

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This marks the end of the Palz Open 2026. As always, the organization was outstanding and the task setting was excellent. Every task offered a good mix of easier and more challenging sections.

Stephan Schöpe worked hard to make each day fun and flyable despite difficult wind conditions - and he succeeded. The Vosges may not be ideal for fast retrieves, but the drivers made sure everyone got home safely at the end of the day. Thank you for such an amazing competition!

We know you did not hear much from us during the event. The Swiss team was busy enjoying a fantastic team spirit in which everyone played a part: “Dummschnurre” over an early breakfast, collaborative debriefings of the previous day’s task while waiting at take-off, and lively discussions in goal. Whether we were watching the Swiss football team together or repairing gliders, we were busy and having a great time. Meanwhile, Gael's tandem performance in T3 & T4 remains a highlight, as well as Bruno's fifth place Overall.

Rankings:

Overall:
1. Samuel Tanner
2. Flavio Funiati
3. Stephane Poulain

5. Bruno Liard
16. Markus S. Wicki
20. René Mühlemann
21. Simon Steiner
27. Benjamin Fankhauser
33. Marco Sommerfeld (1. Sport Class)
34. Frederic Monnet (2. Sport Class)
41. Francois Wagner (3. Sport Class)
51. Ruben Hutter
56. Albino Malli
58. Didier Schultz
59. Kaj Witzig
61. Gernot Seitz
63. Laurent Monneron
64. Jeele Johannsen (2. Reynolds Class)
66. Hans Strahm
78. Marco Vergari
89. Gael Frochaux
92. Beat Bischof