Rozak Claims Victory in Austrian Thriller: A Tactical Masterstroke to End Week 1
Zeltweg, 26/01/2026 – The first weekend of the 3rd FAI World Virtual Sailplane Grand Prix Final concluded yesterday with a dramatic last leg towards Turnau. After two grueling races, Race 3 took the fleet north into the heart of the Austrian Alps. Launching from the legendary Red Bull Ring at Zeltweg, the pilots faced a complex 203 km task that tested their ability to switch gears between high-mountain flying and the dreaded "blue thermal" conditions of the eastern valleys.
The Start: Heavy Traffic at the Red Bull Ring
The race began under the shadow of the Formula 1 circuit, with a packed grid launching into a difficult airmass. The start gate, capped at 1800m, saw a slow and congested exit. A massive gaggle of eight pilots, including Ryan Wood and Witold Rozak, clustered together in the initial climbs, struggling to break free from the Zeltweg valley. It took nearly 30 minutes for the leaders to reach the first turnpoint at Murau Schloss, averaging a sluggish 90 km/h as they fought for every meter of altitude against heavy rain showers and thunderstorms looming in the west.
The Route: Storms, Passes, and Blue Skies
The middle sector of the race separated the contenders from the pack. Pilots like Frank Schwerdtfeger (Germany) and Maciej Cieslak (Poland) found the high line, navigating the mountain passes towards Turnpoint 2 at Niederoblarn. Meanwhile, Sean Churchill, fresh off his Race 2 victory, opted for a lower, riskier line through the valleys, keeping pace but sacrificing altitude.
The defining moment came on the leg to Turnpoint 3 (Windischgarsten) and the long final transition to the finish at Turnau. As the fleet pushed east, the clouds vanished. The pilots entered a "blue thermal" area: a psychological and tactical challenge where lift is invisible.
Here, three distinct strategies emerged:
The Detour: Frank Schwerdtfeger swung wide to the ridges, hunting for visible cumulus clouds to guarantee lift. It was safe, but costly in distance.
The Pack Line: The main gaggle, including David Redman and Yuki Kazama, trusted the terrain, finding consistent 4 m/s climbs in the blue without visual markers.
The Direct Line: Kuba (Poland) and Witold Rozak committed to the direct track. Trusting their knowledge of the airmass, they flew straight and true, finding lift exactly where they predicted.
The Climax: The Blue Thermal Gamble Pays Off
The decision to fly the direct line proved decisive. Witold Rozak surged to the front, executing a flawless final glide into Turnau. Ignoring the temptation of the distant clouds, he trusted his glide computer and the unseen energy of the airmass.
Rozak crossed the finish line first, securing the win and propelling himself to the top of the overall championship standings. Nico Bianchi (Italy) continued his remarkably consistent performance, chasing Rozak down to take 2nd place. David Redman (Australia) finally converted his aggressive flying into a podium finish, taking 3rd.
Conversely, the "safe" detour strategy failed to pay off for early leader Schwerdtfeger, who watched the direct flyers overtake him in the final kilometers.
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What’s Next? The Championship Pauses
The virtual fleet now takes a two-week break. The action resumes on Friday, February 6th, for the final exhilarating weekend of racing. The championship will conclude with a high-stakes "one-shot" final race on Sunday, February 8th.
Will Rozak hold his lead, or will the break give his rivals time to strategize?
