Asian Beach Games 2012 - Task 6 The Eight

Task 6 was the slalom known as “The Eight” because pilots flew circuits in the pattern of a number 8. Two inflatable pylons, each 20m high, marked out the ends of the course with a kicking stick in the centre.

This is always a fast and heavily contested event and The Eight at the Asian Beach Games 2012 proved no different. The results showed a clear winner but the second and third places were just 0.2s apart.

Pilots started the course by flying at full speed towards the central kicking stick with time starting as soon as contact was made with the stick. Pilots then pulled hard on the control lines to swing around one of the inflatable pyons and back towards the central stick. The pattern continued until two figure 8 patterns had been completed.

This event has all the ingredients for a fantastic spectator event; high speed combined with the need for precision and control. Competitors were psyching themselves up before taking to the air because of the intense concentration levels needed for success.

The result was another strong performance for competition leader Jiri George MACAK, recording a time of 52.9s. It was a clean sweep for Thailand with Kroekrit MUENPHUKHAIO just beating his teammate Kittiphop PHROMMAT by 0.2s to finish second. George is building a steady lead over the field but there is still plenty of time for others to catch up, including the Chinese pilot Guangqiang SHENG who has been impressing the locals with his display of flying skills.

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