German 2 Seat team Karsten Leucker and Jan Omsels
20 M Multi-Seat
The 20 M Multi-Seat class was set a 552.60 km racing task, with the day's optimum speed calculated at 106.85 kph. Sixteen crews started, and thirteen reached the finish line.
Grabowski and Czyż, flying an Arcus M, won the day with a time of 5 hours 10 minutes and 19 seconds to take the full 1,000 points. It was a well-timed result for the Polish pairing, racing in front of a home crowd.
Second place went to Leucker and Omsels in an Arcus T, finishing around six minutes later at 104.90 kph for 970 points, while de Péchy and Duboc took third at 104.35 kph for 962 points. The Australian entry of Woolley and Gateley in an Arcus M came fourth at 103.85 kph, with 954 points.
Two crews failed to complete the course: Jakubcak and Sulirova reached 372 km, and the Finnish team of Kettunen and Sorri covered only 52 km before their day ended, leaving them with just 44 points.
In the overall standings after five tasks, Leucker and Omsels lead on 3,914 points, ahead of Grabowski and Czyż on 3,838 and Woolley and Gateley on 3,812. The day's win moved Grabowski and Czyż up two places in the overall order, but the German crew's consistent results mean they still hold the lead.
Open Class
Open Class was given the longest task of the day at 576.30 km, with 15 gliders competing.
Germany's Michael Sommer in an EB 29R took the win, averaging 119.96 kph over 4 hours 48 minutes to score 1,000 points. Felipe Levin, also flying an EB 29R, was second just over two minutes behind at 119.04 kph, with Sylvain Gerbaud third in another EB 29R at 116.30 kph. The EB 29R dominated the day's podium entirely.
Sebastian Kawa, flying a JS5, came fifth at 110.24 kph. Britain's Russell Cheetham in a JS5 finished ninth at 107.26 kph for 816 points.
Overall, Felipe Levin leads the Open class on 4,723 points with Michael Sommer now second on 4,705 — a gap of just 18 points — and Sebastian Kawa third on 4,409. Sommer's task win has drawn him into close contention at the top, with five tasks still to run before the championship concludes on 30 May.
Sarah Arnold USA
18 M
The 18 M class flew a 471.66 km task, with 42 gliders starting. This was a busy class with speeds well up on the two-seaters, reflecting a lively day for the single-seaters.
Sebastian Kawa
A very difficult day. Mainly because of setting the route. Unfortunately, we flew precisely across the tracks in the worst available weather. The weak area between the Kaczaw Mountains and Wrocław Mountains additionally, with the flow from the north took a toll on us, and in the east, in the Kielce area, the clouds were quite overcast due to the flow of a moisture spot from the north. Combined with the trails across the route, it caused us to crawl on the ground.
Poland's Karol Staryszak, flying an AS 33 Es, took the day's win with a time of 3 hours 50 minutes at 123.04 kph for,000 points. Mario Kiessling of Germany in a Ventus 3T 18m was just 48 seconds behind in second place at 122.61 kph, with Stefan Langer third in another AS 33 Es at 121.95 kph. The top four were separated by only 64 seconds.
Derren Francis in a Ventus 3T 18m placed fourth at 121.69 kph, moving up four positions on the day. Further down the field, Sarah Arnold flying a Ventus 3F 18m finished 16th at 117.66 kph, a solid result in a closely-fought class.
Five gliders did not complete the task. Adomas Grabskis was the most notable, covering 355 km before landing out — a significant fall from his prior overall standing, dropping him 16 places in the daily order. Takeshi Maruyama and Peter Johansson both had very short flights, covering only 13 km and 10 km respectively.
In the overall standings, the French team Victor Mallick leads on 4,071 points, with Christophe Abadie close behind on 4,049 and German and defending champion Stefan Langer third on 4,010. Langer's day win consolidates his position, while Staryszak's task win lifted him two places to sixth overall on 3,820 points. The top three are within 61 points of each other, leaving the class genuinely open.
