Page 45 - MFW June 2025
P. 45

Especially at the age of 64!   The first time I attended a   2025 Australian GPS Triangle Racing Championship
     world championship event was back in 1991 for category   A group of New Zealand flyers, Kevin Botherway, Dave
     F3B.  I became the World Champion. In 1998, I attended   Griffin and Ron Johnson competed in the Australian GPS
     the first F3J world championship event and became the     Triangle Championship. Dave and Kevin finished on the
     first F3J World Champion. In 2011, I attended the first    podium. Well done guys!! Soaring Rocks.
     F3K world championship and became the first F3K world     Report and pics elsewhere in this MFW.
     champion.  The trend was broken with the first F5J world
     championship in 2019, as I finished fourth there. I have
     now remedied this failure of mine! :)

     "This year's F5J world championship in Argentina was
     well organized and very well run. The contest officials
     adapted nicely with the sometimes-uncertain weather. It
     was  an  ideal  world  championship  event,  with  a  wide
     variety of conditions to test the pilots. Even the flyoffs had
     a wide variety of conditions in the space of just a few
     hours, which really challenged the pilots. The hospitality
     of the Argentinians has been superb for our time here in
     Cordoba.
                                                              Kiwi Flyers with Hiscock family supporters.


                                                              NZ Soarchamps.
                                                              Mark your calendar now, put in for your leave and come
                                                              and fly at the 2025 NZ Soarchamps from the 16th to 19th
                                                              of October. To be flown in sunny Hawkes Bay at the Black
                                                              Bridge Soaring field near Clive, and a short drive from
                                                              Napier, Hastings, or Havelock North.

                                                              Soaring Classes; F3B, F3J, ALES Radian, eRES 2M,
                                                              F5J, F3K and F5K will be flown over the 4 flying days.









                                               Joe – Nailed it!!
     "I have to give huge thanks to my teammate and friend
     Kevin  Botherway,  who  called  me  throughout  the
     preliminary and flyoff rounds. Without his expert help, I
     would not have done nearly as well. Our team manager,
     David Pratley was also instrumental in our results.

     "Two days after the flyoffs have been completed, I still
     feel like I am in a dream world.  Despite my more youthful
     successes, I was not expecting this result at all. I am
     proud of my air reading for the full week of flying.  A hint of
     things to come was winning the Tango Cup prior to the
     world  championship  event. At  that  point  I  could  have
     returned home a very happy person.

     "For  the  world  championship  itself,  the  New  Zealand
     team worked together very well and put forward a great
     effort in trying to defend the team trophy (which we won
     for the first two F5J world championships).  It was very
     nice  to  see  Pete  McEvoy  step  up  during  the  world
     championship event. He improved markedly during the
     weeks flying.”

     The  NZ  team  was  placed  a  respectable  fifth  out  of
     eighteen teams.




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