7th FAI Sailplane Grand Prix Final kicked off in Potchefstroom (RSA)!

The World Championship takes place from 05 to 12 November 2016 in Potchefstroom, Republic of South Africa (RSA).

Eigtheen amongst the best gliding pilots in the world will battle out to win the 7th FAI World Sailplane Grand Prix Championship. This exciting competition, which can be followed live online, is the finale of a series of seven qualifying races that took place during the course of the year in different places around the world.

Of the eighteen pilots who will grid on the first race day no fewer than five of them have been a World Gliding Champion in previous years. A talented group of pilots coming together to compete for the coveted title of Sailplane Grand Prix World Champion will ensure some close and competitive racing. Of course the rest of the competitors will be pushing hard to win their first title and will ensure the winner will be a very deserving pilot.

Amongst the competitors will also be Sebastian Kawa from Poland, a three time SGP champion and seven time World Gliding Champion, as well as last year's winner Maximilian Seis from France.

Follow the contest

A 3D video representing the flight both graphically and accurately will be streamed directly via the web to the public site at www.sgp.aero/finals2016, thanks to an electronic tracking device fitted in the glider and which transmits its position in real time. Regular updates will also be made on the dedicated Facebook page and Twitter account. Videos will be also published on the SGP Youtube Channel.

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 About the FAI Sailplane Grand Prix

The FAI Sailplane Grand Prix makes the sport of gliding more accessible and physically visible to the general public while the scoring system allows spectators to easily see who has won, as the first sailplane crosses the line in front of them.

A series of qualifying events is run in different countries over a period of approximately a year and as the finale features the top two from each qualifier, it is truly a test of champions. Entries are usually limited to 20 participants, since everyone starts at the same time and may fly round and arrive very close together and very fast. Races may be routed over or close to the airfield more than once to give spectators the chance to see the race played out before their eyes. During the time the gliders are away from sight, tracking equipment carried in the gliders enables a real-time film of their positions and the ground they are covering to be sent back onto giant screens or computers at the airfield and on internet, therefore truly involving the maximum number of people in the excitement.

The winner is the pilot who, over the period of a week’s competition, has amassed the highest number of points overall. He becomes the FAI Sailplane Grand Prix World Champion.