World Gliding Championships in New Zealand, 1995

PRESS RELEASE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS			JANUARY 9


The Germans cleaned up in two of the three classes in the first day of the
World Gliding Championships in Omarama today (Monday January 9) in what has
been a difficult and tricky dayUs flying for the 91 competitors.

German open class pilots Robert Schroeder and Uli Schwenk finished first
and second respectively, with New Zealander Ray Lynskey in third place. 
Martin Theisinger and Michael Grund finished first and second in the
15-metre class with Stefano Ghiorzo third,  according to the first
unofficial placings tonight.
Great BritianUs Martyn Wells  took first place in the standard class with
Gilbert Gerbaud  (France) second and Juha Sorri from Finland third.

New Zealand has not fared so well on the first day.  Ray Lynskey and Terry
Delore were the highest placed New Zealanders,  Lynskey in third place in
the open and Delore fourth in the 15 metre class.
Patrick Driessen (15 metre) had to land out  and Theo Newfield and Grae
Harrison each finished 12th and 13th in the open class. Although not
placing high, all New Zealanders  apart from Driessen completed the task.

It was a tough dayUs flying, says Delore, but better than previous first
days in his world championships experience.
``I was just rapt to get home,UU says Delore. `` In two previous world
championships I have ended up landing out on the first day.UU

Describing the day as below average as far as conditions went, Delore says
the deteriorating weather took him into rain at the Tarras turnpoint and
again as he made his final approach to the Omarama airfield.
``It was an ideal day to test skills,UU he says.

For the Australian team it has been a day of mixed blessings.  National 15
metre champion David Jansen badly damaged his plane when deteriorating
weather forced him to land out in the Lindis area. The canopy and wing tips
of the glider are broken and the glider cannot be repaired for further
competition.
Jansen has decided to return home and says he is just thankful to be alive.
Open class competitor Michael Giles of Australia who initally placed third
in the open clas was later relegated to fourth place for violating the
start, leaving New ZealandUs Ray Lynskey to be elevated into third place. 
Championship director John Roake says it was a difficult but exciting dayUs
flying,  particularly at the finish line when there were about 25 gliders
landing within a three-minute period.

TodayUs task took competitors over distances up to 344 kilometres north
toward Mount Cook, south to Queenstown, north to Lake Ohau and home to
Omarama. 

All 91 competitors were launched for the first day, comprising 15 in the
open class, 32 in the 15 metre class and 44 in the standard class.

Bad weather forced the first day of the championships to be cancelled
yesterday,Sunday, January 8. Although the cloud base lifted to allow the
launch this afternoon, the weather deteriorated as an easterly and the
westerly flow converged, bringing localised rain.
Championship metereologist Peter Knudsen  predicts similar conditons for
the next two days.

Page last updated on Sat May 18 12:43:05 2024 (Mountain Standard Time)