Game alias Viking Race 2002 is over! I'm already two days thinking how to start or even if start at all any comments about this controversial competition. My english is limited to express and properly subscribe all this waterfalls of emotions and feelings. It will be very uneasy for me.

Well,

• Ride of Martin Herrig from Germany with his Freestyler was amazing. There was no doubt he was the best! My admirations, Martin!
• Czech Vaclav Vojtisek (designer of Sting, NewSting and BigSting-Caligulla) was 2-nd , just before Joe Wurts (USA).
• The best F3F team in the world are Czechs, Vaclav Vojtisek, Vaclav "Vasafan" Blaha and Jaroslav Triska.
• 8 pilots from TOP TEN are using Czech F3F machines (Sting, NewSting, NYX and X21). Celebration of Czech craftsmanship?!
• The best junior is also Czech, Ondrej Dvorak (Sting) and the youngest pilot standing on the podium is also Czech, Vitek Vojtech (my 9 years old son), 3-rd position.
• Seems to me this comp was failure of the most of traditional F3F countries from North-West of Europe (and not only them). Please keep in mind that still I admire all this excellent guys and pilots from France, Great Britain, Norway, Spain and the others. It had to be bitter lesson of Austrian style of flying for them. Soon I will try to explain what was going on here.
• BTW when you check VR TOP 15 you see all well known names even from this "affected" countries, Espen Torp (Norway), Pierre Rondel (France), Kevin Newton and John McCurdy (both Great Britain). Respecting F3F is a bit similar to poker still these guys were able to face for them very new conditions and performing well.

These are just facts. Step by step I will come with thousands of pictures and my unqualified comments ;-)

Roman Vojtech (9/9/02)

P.S. Just to be lead in maybe a different picture of VR2002 go to Bob Bingham's Gliderking.

Roman Vojtech (14/9/02)

Friday, 30-th August

Together with my son we were comming to Donovaly late evening. Many teams are already on the place and flying from Wednesday.

Vitek (my son) had big dilemma before going to VR. On the one hand he had fear to fly together with the best F3F pilots in the world (wouu) and on the other hand it was offer for him to miss one week at the beginning of shool after holidays (1-st September in Czechia). Floods in Czechia made dicision. Schools in Prague are closed for childrens, while there are people from flooded areas of Prague.

OK let's go to Donovaly!

Saturday, 31-st August

We were starting registration (I'm member of organizer team) and it was chance for me to meet many known people which I know only from F3X media.

There is also free training on the south slope. Conditions are weak (0-3m/s). Afternoon we are going up with sky lift with Vitek to see slope. He is here for the first time.

Some people have big problems to stay on the edge and they land somewhere down. I'm not sure if I should throw son's Ellipse 2V down. At the end I didn't do it; we should race still one week and it is needless to loose racing machine first day.

In some periods there are quite strong thermals and many people are launching. Around 5 pm the sun is covered by clouds and air gets colder and colder. Throwing your lovely machine down can be tricky, sometimes the sinks are strong. At the end there are only two gliders in the air Joe's Wurts Icon and my Caligulla.

Even during day I was happy to find out that when we were thermalling I was permanently one with the highest altitude. Caligulla is mainly F3B machine and you can't compare it for example with small Alexis Marechal's Miraj which has special speedy F3F airfiol designed by Marcel Guwang.

Alex McMeekin (GB) and Barry Baskin (USA) are watching South slope. They had no idea what will happen on this slope-going down should come later.	It's not allowed to stay in safety zone. But this was arranged only for my camera:)

Domecek F3F

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