A new chapter in competitive soaring opens with tighter rules, a global calendar, and a World Final in Chile.
The FAI Sailplane Grand Prix has been running since its first official World Final in Saint-Auban, France, in September 2005. Now entering its 13th series, the competition continues to attract elite pilots from across the soaring world. The format remains straightforward: up to 20 gliders race a closed course of 200 to 300 km, with no engine assistance, and the first pilot to cross the finish line wins the race. Points are awarded to the top nine finishers each day, and the pilot who accumulates the most points across the contest week takes the overall win.
That simplicity is deliberate. The SGP was designed to be understandable to a general audience while remaining technically demanding for the pilots flying it. Courses take roughly two hours to complete under typical conditions, though weather will always have the final say. The decisions a pilot makes — which thermal to commit to, when to push on glide, how to position relative to competitors — unfold in real time against changing conditions, and that is what makes the racing compelling to anyone who has ever flown a sailplane cross-country.
How the Series Works
Series 13 consists of 11 qualifying events held across multiple countries, with the top-placed pilots at each event earning spots at the World Final. The qualifying threshold has been raised from the previous series. An event now needs at least 16 entries for two pilots to automatically qualify, and at least 10 entries for the winner to earn a place. Events with fewer than 10 valid entries will not generate a qualifying slot at all.
The definition of a valid entry has also been tightened. A pilot must start at least 50 percent of the races in a contest and complete at least half of those started. Additionally, the glider flown must meet minimum handicap requirements — a DAeC Index of 113 or above for the 18-metre class, and 107 or above for the 15-metre and Standard classes. These changes are intended to ensure that qualifying places reflect genuine competition rather than token participation.
Wing Loading and the Finish Line
The wing loading limits have been updated to accommodate the newest generation of sailplanes, including those fitted with electric sustainers or self-launch systems. The 18-metre class is now permitted a maximum wing loading of 51 kg per square metre, up from the 48 kg per square metre limit that applied in Series 12. The 15-metre and Standard class limit remains at 48 kg per square metre. This change acknowledges the reality of current glider design without abandoning the principle that all competing aircraft should be broadly comparable in performance.
The finish line rules have been refined in a way that will matter to anyone planning to compete. Series 13 formally defines a Finish Altitude Band, normally 30 metres deep. Flying below the upper boundary of this band incurs a time penalty. Flying below the lower boundary invalidates the finish entirely. In Series 12, a pilot who crossed below the minimum altitude still received a valid finish with a five-minute penalty. That is no longer the case. Pilots arriving at the finish low will need to judge their approach carefully.
Start Speed
The standard maximum start speed remains 170 kph. However, the new rules give the SGP Director the flexibility to modify this limit at the daily briefing in exceptional circumstances, such as a strong tailwind on the start line. This is a small but practical change. The fixed 170 kph limit in Series 12 made no allowance for conditions that could make a standard mass start genuinely unsafe or unworkable, and the Series 13 approach reflects how such situations are handled in practice at the top level of the sport.
The Series 13 Calendar
The qualifying calendar spans two full years and reaches across multiple continents. European events run through 2026 and into 2027, covering venues in Italy, the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, France, Poland, Sweden, and Spain. The southern hemisphere provides three further qualifying events, at Bona Bona in South Africa in November 2026, Vitacura in Chile in January 2027, and Beverley in Western Australia in February 2027.
The European legs begin at Varese in Italy from 24 to 30 May 2026, followed by Lasham in the UK from 7 to 13 June 2026. Starmoen in Norway runs from 28 June to 4 July 2026, and Farrenberg in Germany follows from 9 to 15 August 2026. The French venue at Vinon takes place from 30 August to 5 September 2026. After the three southern hemisphere events, the European calendar resumes in 2027 with Zar in Poland from 9 to 15 May, Boras in Sweden from 23 to 29 May, and Santa Cilia in Spain from 6 to 12 June.
Santa Cilia serves as the final qualifying event, meaning it carries extra weight for pilots on the edge of a World Final berth. The terrain in the Pyrenees demands a different skill set from the flatter venues in Scandinavia and the UK, and conditions there can be demanding. For pilots who have competed at Vinon or in the Alps, the mountain environment will be familiar; for others, it represents a significant tactical challenge.
The World Final itself takes place at Vitacura in Chile from 9 to 15 January 2028. Vitacura also appears as a qualifying event one year earlier, giving pilots who attend both the opportunity to build familiarity with the site and the local conditions before the title is decided there.
Pilots Considering Entry
The raised qualification thresholds mean that a pilot aiming for the World Final needs to be part of a well-attended event and needs to fly consistently across the contest week rather than relying on a single strong result.
The wing loading change is relevant for anyone flying a current-generation 18-metre sailplane with water ballast. The updated finish line rules deserve careful attention, since a pilot who misjudges the approach to the finish and flies below the lower boundary of the band will lose the finish entirely rather than taking a penalty. That distinction could decide a day's result, and in a close contest it could decide the overall winner.
Full details of the sporting rules for Series 13 are available for download through the SGP website at sgp.aero, and pilot registration for all events is open now.
https://sgp.aero
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