On Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 10:21:54 AM UTC-8, Dan Marotta wrote:
Isn't there some guy in the upper midwest who's running a grand prix
task?* Wonder who that could be...*





On 12/13/2015 10:12 AM, Sean Fidler
wrote:



We don't do Grand Prix in the US (wildly popular in the rest of the world) and I have not heard of anyone trying to run a Grand Prix task even though the rules now allow it. Assigned tasks are, again, as rare as a purple unicorn with a golden horn in the USA.




--

Dan, 5J

There is a local Gran Prix style contest every year at Truckee for the last 10 years. It is three times around a close in course of about 40 miles, with a simultaneous start. It is handicapped by locating a far turnpoint further away for faster gliders, thus at each lap crossing the start/finish line all gliders are even. Points are awarded for each start finish lap position, with double points for the last lap. It is a blast.

One of the rules is that at each turnpoint, pilots must announce so that everyone always knows where everyone else is, including the spectators. You know if you if you have gained or lost every few minutes. You leech off of other gliders, and your own thermals found on the previous lap as much as possible. It is much more like real racing, than typical glider racing which is in effect a time trial.