Thursday 7.07.05
    A rest of cloud formations scuds across the sky after yesterday's rain and without regards to a weak north wind organisers carry pilots up to the southern taking off point at a height of 1020 meters. But a continuous layer of clouds is pushing high above the taking off area and a wet terrain is warming very slowly today. An anchored balloon above the taking off point is always bowed by the north wind and except for several dust devils nothing changes even one hour past noon. Laki is a little bit nervous. Nothing remains at twenty past one but claiming a movement to the north and all of 115 pilots take their bags to the opposite side of the ridge.

    "Paolo, no screaming in thermals with Swiss pilots!" a noticable warning for too impulsive Italian pilot Zammarchi can be seen on the briefing board and 67km long task is declared today. At first pilots will fly in tailwind 57km to the southeast side towards the first turning point at Sukovo village which is located close to Bulgarian border line and 10km back to Pirot then. Two hours long starting window will be open immediately after the briefing at twenty to three and a minimum validation distance is set to 40km.

    "Why are we using only a half of the taking off area?" Petra Krausova raises her voice immediately after the briefing is finished and her home taking off point Cerna hora seems to her much larger now. But after making sure the top 15 pilots will take off as the first she has no more questions. Besides it comes to light after a while that thanks to an improving thermal activity and an excellent managing all of 115 pilots fly away in 30 minutes at last.

    Despite low cloudbases at a height of 1700 meters pilots fly in tail wind towards the first turning point relatively fast and 38 of them succeed in reaching it. Problems arise at the moment of turning back and gliding 10 kilometers towards the goal against the wind which speed exceeds 6m/s. Slavomir Matras from Greece fly nearest the goal finally. He lands on 62km and becomes the winner of today's task. Tomas Brauner from Czech Republic finished 400m back and Gasper Prevc from Slovenia by another 400m back.

    Czech pilot Tomas Brauner moved to the first position in total ranking of the competition, leaving Swiss pilots Hans Bollinger and Christian Maurer behind. Petra Krausova from Czech Republic is in the lead of the women category now.