4 Disqualifications for dangerous flying for Rakmanin, Arch, Dolderer and Chambliss!
3 Did not starts for MaClean, Hall and Goulian!
The DNS for Hall and Goulian were on the start grid. They could not get their engines started to go for the next flight.
Paul Bonhomme won with a very good final time considering the heat of 41 deg C in the race track. The fact that Besenyei took out 3rd place with a time 7 seconds slower showed how consistency in the final rounds is so important.
Team Muroya wants to take this lesson to Perth. Our plane seems closer to beingcompetitive. Even so we still need to improve the plane to reach the final 4.
The start to the season has shown the effects of the new rules about weight limits for planes and pilots.
The planes are held in Parc Ferme from 2 hours before the racing starts and can be spot checked for weight at any time. Team Maclean were unlucky to be found 3kg light in a spot check and were therefore disqualified from the qualification rounds. Such small discrepancys can occurr just by the difference in temperature of the fuel when it was put in the plane and when the plane is weighed possibly the next day. Teams have to be very careful that the fuel loads and any compensation weights are correct prior to the 2 hour Parc Ferme time. The pilots are weighed together with their compensation weights immediately after landing and must exceed the minimum Pilot weight of 82kg or else the will be disqualified.
For Team Muroya the 10th place and 2 points is not too bad a start. We know where our improvements can be made an look forward to the next round in Perth.
photos by Taro Imahara/TIPP
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