2023 South of England Open F3F
30 June - 2 July 2023
Third placer Peter Kowalski (Germany) was among several visitors from abroad.
South of England Open
A good entry (31 pilots) and challenging conditions made for a splendid competition. Plus, we were fortunate to be joined by some of the best pilots in Europe.
The comp took place on the SW bowl of the Long Man. and on each of the three days we used a different part of the hill. The wind was strong, gusting up to 40 mph and often crossed. And to cap it all, the contours of the hill were quite different at each end of the course. Compared with the Bwlch, it was more like 'jeux sans frontiers' without the funny costumes (but still with all the fun).
The comp
As forecast, the first day was a little damp, nevertheless we managed to get several rounds in. The end of the day saw Mark Redsell in the lead, followed by Frits Donker Duyvis and Manuel Rath.
Day 2 saw Mark keep his lead, with Peter Kowalski and John Phillips behind.
On the last day, Markus Meissner, who had been quietly scything his way up the field after a poor start, just pipped Mark into second place by the tiniest of margins. The final podium spot went to Peter Kowalski, just 3 points behind.
Final thoughts
All in all a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable F3F competition. The standard of flying was very high and I'm sure we all went home mentally and physically fitter!
My thanks to Allen Elliott, John Phillips, Graeme Mahoney, Mark Treble and all helpers - the comp would not have taken place without their hard work. And not least to our German, Austrian, Swiss and Dutch friends for gracing us with their skill and company.
Results
After 15 rounds/2 discards:
1 Markus Meissner (Switzerland) 11893.22 2 Mark Redsell (United Kingdom) 11822.63 3 Peter Kowalski (Germany) 11819.90 4 John Phillips (United Kingdom) 11589.36 5 Frits Donker Duyvis (Netherlands) 11559.12 6 Manuel Rath (Austria) 11539.14 7 Armin Hortzitz (Germany) 11392.80 8 Dieter Perlick (Germany) 11329.17 9 Erik Heijne (Netherlands) 11146.43 10 Stefan Bernardy (Netherlands) 11108.31 11 Greg Dakin (United Kingdom) 11087.82 12 Mike Shellim (United Kingdom) 11071.83 13 Peter Hubbertz (Germany) 11065.07 14 William Fourie (United Kingdom) 10995.49 15 Andy Burgoyne (United Kingdom) 10947.65 16 Arjen van Vark (Netherlands) 10943.69 17 Aleix Ingles Elias (Spain) 10932.63 18 Mike Evans (United Kingdom) 10805.80 19 Torsten Hermann (Germany) 10705.36 20 Mark Treble (United Kingdom) 10613.55 21 Bruce Hudson (United Kingdom) 10551.39 22 Ian Mason (United Kingdom) 10535.30 23 Andreas Aigner (Austria) 10467.97 24 Rick Ruijsink (Netherlands) 10285.79 25 Dave Demott (United Kingdom) 10253.47 26 Josef Wiklicky (Austria) 10225.54 27 Phil Taylor (United Kingdom) 9908.00 28 Graeme Mahoney (United Kingdom) 9870.70 29 Allen Elliott (United Kingdom) 9676.37 30 David Rumble (United Kingdom) 9673.37 31 Jason Bioletti (United Kingdom) 9088.20
Fastest time: Andy Burgoyne 36.87 secs