Anticipating what the weather will bring for a gliding competition is always a throw of the dice. Fortunately for the 20m and Club Class Nationals at Temora, the bad weather came during the weeks before the contest. The practise day task was cancelled and only a few pilots launched. But after that, the fleet was able to fly for the next seven days consecutively. The weather was certainly not easy, but it was soarable. After all, competitions are supposed to test the skill and tenacity of the pilots.
The new Club Class Australian National Champion, Sophie Curio on the grid at Temora.
By Sean Young
Competition Underway
The first day was – you guessed it – low and blue. Even so, all but one of the Club Class pilots completed the 278km task. The day was won by Sophie Curio, who gained 939 points on the slightly downgraded scoring day.
In 20m Class, Justin Smith and Matthew Atkinson from Lake Keepit won the 350.64km racing task at 124.04 kph, gaining 940 points. However, Brad Edwards and Bruce Taylor actually had a higher speed at 124.07 kph and, after handicap adjustment, received 938 points and made 2nd place. The scene was set for the rest of the contest, with pilots in the top places finishing very close together until the end.
Justin Smith commented, ‘Happy with day 1 Nats Temora. There was wave prestart 7,000ft but lost it and started after some others at 6,000ft and played catch up, finally enjoying some company final leg mostly a blue day occasional 9 knots.’
A few pilots encountered the wave pre-start, but it wasn’t enough to make much difference to the start of the race. This day, as throughout the competition, most pilots left soon after the start gate opened. Even on the strongest weather days, there was always the worry about the sky shutting down early, as the long summer days were now getting shorter. Most pilots thought the task setters had judged the weather well, setting tasks that stretched the competitors but were definitely achievable.
Jack Hart in his ASW20b. Jack came 2nd in Club Class.
Tough Finish
Bernie Sizer won the second race in Club Class. He flew the 241.3km task at 94.43 kph winning 822 points on another downgraded day. Brown and Anderson won the 20m Class race in a DG1000. They finished the 348.33km course at a speed of 100.50kph to win 1,000 points. They kept Adam Woolley and Keith Gateley flying an Arcus in 2nd place, followed by David Jansen and Steven Evans from Kingaroy in an ASG23.
The results belie the tough conditions on course, particularly the last 100km of both of tasks. Both classes spent the day flying between 4 and 6,000ft. There were many reports of near landouts and slow progress. In the end all but one pilot in each class completed the their tasks.
After flying in the Temora club house
New Zealannd pilot Michael Strathern flying his ASW20.
KIWI WINS DAY IN CLUB CLASS
There was uncertainty at the launch point as to whether the A Tasks would be feasible. The day did not seem to be shaping up as planned. Scorer Ian Steventon busily prepared the B task instead. But in the end, Competition Director Tom Gilbert made the call to continue with the original tasks. The day turned out to be as forecast, with climbs to about 8,000ft and reasonably strong climbs.
Michael Strathern from Nelson Lakes in New Zealand had been flying in Australia this season. He flew his ASW20 310.89km at 103.63 kph to win the 3 hour AAT task in Club Class.
Brown and Anderson won the 2 Seater race, flying their 349.41km racing task at 110.39 kph. Adam Woolley and Keith Gateley were pleased with their performance taking 2nd place and gaining 972 points. Adam said, ‘We started 2nd last, after what seemed like the whole fleet flying past us with Brad and Bruce leading the way. Being behind has its benefits, you can observe those ahead and make smart decisions with plenty of time.
‘The first came when I saw Temple and Taylor, way up ahead, down low as they approached the Leeton hills. I decided that they just hadn't hit any good climbs. So I decided to deviate 30° left of track and ran 5km abeam their track in the hope that I'd at least get the same air. I was rewarded with a good climb that caught us up with them.
‘I saw the main gaggle go on track, only to note that they hadn't climbed and were generally low. Sometimes it pays to be behind. I simply flew left of track, hoping for a better run. This is exactly what happened – big climb then run run run! All the club competitors completed the task and only one 2 Seater didn’t make it around. So at this point in the comp, the pilots were very pleased with the task setting.’
LOW AGAIN
The next day the conditions deteriorated. But there were still climbs to 8,000ft, which was enough. In Club Class, Ailsa McMillan had her best performance, winning the day for 1,000 points. She completed the 295.83km racing task at 97.67 kph. Sophie Curio came home 2nd. She had won the first race and then came 2nd for the following three days, keeping her at the top of the Club Class table.
Lumpy Paterson and Thomsen won the 2 Seater race flying 392.46km at 117.52 kph. The day was again undervalued and Lumpy gained 921 pts. Jansen and Evans came 2nd and Woolley / Gateley finished 3rd, giving them enough to stay in the lead overall.
GET HIGH, STAY HIGH
Although the first four days had been more difficult than the results indicated, the fifth race was just too tricky for some.
The first leg for both classes went east to Harden and towards the higher ground of the ranges. On this leg, some pilots simply found no lift and ended up on the ground or starting their engines - but not David Meredith. David had his first day win in a national competition, flying his Std Jantar 2 and completing the 310.74km racing task at 98.88 kph.
David Meredith in his Std Jantar 2. David won his first day in a national competition on day 6 in Club Class.
At briefing the next morning he was asked how he did it. He explained that unlike everyone else, he had a good first leg. He simply got high and stayed high. He could see other gliders zipping around looking for climbs, while all he did was keep topping up to stay at cloud-base. That put him ahead of everyone and he maintained his lead on the other legs.
Losing contact with the clouds on the first leg made it difficult to climb in very weak conditions low down. Michael Strathern succumbed to the conditions and ended up in a paddock after flying 73km. Ailsa McMillan had another good day coming 2nd and Neil Bennett took 3rd place. Sophie came home 4th for her worst result of the contest, but still maintaining her lead in Club Class.
In 2 Seater Class, there were two paddock landings and three engine starts. The 458.77km task was won by Jansen and Evans at 121.87 kph. David said he almost landed out on the first leg, but found a climb just as he flew over a paddock, preparing to land. Woolley and Gateley took 2nd place, but also kept their position in 1st overall.
Daryl Speight from Darling Downs took 3rd place in Club Class.
CUMULUS FILLED SKY
On Friday, the sixth consecutive flying day, the contestants were rewarded with a forecast for a cumulus sky with climbs to over 8,000ft. On the grid waiting for launch, it seemed less certain. Launching was delayed as the sky looked still and was cloudless, however, once launching commenced CUs started forming and the fleet set of on track for what promised to be a fast race in both classes.
Woolley and Gateley won the 2 Seater race, flying the 3-hour AAT at a blistering 141.4 kph with a distance of 459.28km.
Adam said, ‘A sweet day in the skies, the whole sky was going up today it seemed, so my focus was just on clean flying. When I got mid-convection, we topped up in 6kts for insurance and just continued on our merry way. Overall, I was looking for 7 to 8kt climbs and cruised everywhere at 100 - 110kts following the energy.’
Jack Hart won Club Class flying 375.69km at 114.89 kph after flying a mixed contest, coming 7th three days in a row. But this win put him right up in 2nd place behind Sophie, who came 3rd on the day, keeping her lead overall.
Temora pilot Scott Lennon flew with his son, the youngest competitor, Tom in a 'Sharkus' in 20m Class.
FINAL RACE
With just two further days of the contest to go, the leaders knew they had to fight to hold on to their positions. However, the competition rules state that after seven days, there must be a rest day. So the task setters were faced with a choice of having the rest day on the Saturday or Sunday, the final day of the comp. But the decision was made for them, as conditions on Saturday looked to be as good the day before. So this was to be the final race.
Jansen and Evans won the day in 2 Seater Class flying the 425.62km racing task at 138.46 kph. Woolley and Gateley came 2nd and won the championships. Jansen and Evans came 2nd overall with Paterson and Thomesn in 3rd place.
In Club Class, Michael Strathern had his 2nd day win flying 327.25km at 107.85 kph. The day he landed out cost him places, and he finished the contest in 5th place overall. Jack Hart came home 2nd on the day and in 2nd place overall. Sophie Curio came 6th on the day. However her consistent performance made her the new Australian Club Class Champion.
Adam and Keith represented Australia in the Uvalde WGC in 2024 in 2 Seater Class, and will also fly at the next WGC in Poland in May 2026. Sophie will be flying for Australia in the Women's World Gliding Championships, Czech Republic in 18m Class in July - August this year.
Michael Strathern will be flying for New Zealand in Club Class at WGC Tabor, Czech Rep in June. He will be competing against the Australian team – reigning World Champion James Nugent and his teammate Daniel Summers.
The competition could not have been better organised and was perfectly run from start to finish.
20m 2 Seat Australian National Champions Adam Woolley (front) with Keith Gateley flying an Arcus on the penultimate day of the championships.
Australian Club 2 Seat and Club Class National Championships, Temora NSW
16 - 23 February 2025
20M 2 SEAT CLASS
1 Woolley & Gateley Kingaroy & Bathurst ArcusM 6,576
2 Jansen & Evans Kingaroy ASG32Mi 6,442
3 Paterson & Thomsen Tocumwal Arcus 6,139
CLUB CLASS
1 Sophie Curio Kingaroy LS4a 6,212
2 Jack Hart Bendigo ASW20B 6,137
3 Daryl Speight Darling Downs DiscusB 5,719
Full results at soaringspot.com tinyurl.com/TEMORANATS
Photo: Michael Strathern
Photo: Adam Woolley
Former World Gliding Champion Brad Edwards, (front) with Bruce Taylor in their ASG32Mi.
