2018-19 Midland Winter League 1
10 November 2018
Greg Lewis brings in his Pitbull II
Phoenix from the Ashes
The alarm went off at 5.30. I yawned, took one look at the forecast and crawled back under the covers.
By six o'clock F3F madness had set in. I found myself on a dark road bound for Church Stretton, reaching the meeting point just a few minutes late. Well there must have been some method in that madness because we ended up flying 13 rounds and going home dry!
The slope
'Ashes' is a new slope to me. It's a mix of the South bowl of Horcum with a taste of Levisham. The wind patterns tended to shift rapidly, so any ideas of turn strategy quickly went out of the window. It was a case of thinking on your feet and squeezing every last ounce from the air. Interesting stuff, and at the end of 13 rounds a pattern emerged of those who managed the conditions brilliantly, and those who struggled.
Podium
By the day's end, Greg Lewis had emphatically made his mark to win the competition, flying his Pitbull II with great smoothness. Close behind was Mike Evans who flew his Shinto with aggression and accuracy. Mark Treble took third spot flying his Needle. Well done to all three. Round winners were Greg Lewis (4), Mike Evans (3), Scott Ravenscroft (2), Mark Treble (2), Mike Shellim (1), Paul Stubley (1). Greg just pipped me to take fastest time.
All in all, a well run and enjoyable competition - many thanks to Les Wood and Mike Evans for all their hard work.
Results
1 Greg Lewis 11296.61 2 Mike Evans 11189.66 3 Mark Treble 10850.42 4 Paul Stubley 10660.63 5 Mike Shellim 10572.32 6 Scott Ravenscroft 10367.40 7 Brett Larrett 10297.37 8 Keith Wood 9793.91 9 Les Wood 9639.85 10 Bruce Hudson 9263.12 11 Jerry Lunt 3514.89
Fastest time Greg Lewis (40.19 seconds)