The first league comp of 2026 got underway a bit late, as the usual road to the Bwlch was closed necessitating a 30 minute detour (Welsh TV were filming a crash scene for the Welsh version of East Enders).
So we didn’t quite get started as we wanted to, and of course as soon as pilot one had flown the rain started, things did not look good.
However that was the last we saw of the rain until after we had packed away after completing 9 rounds. Everyone had a bit of good air during the day and there were a few new PB’s as well .
It was good to have Frank and Tony back and a new face joining us Tuba Wong, hopefully we’ll be seeing more of you on slopes throughout the year!
The winner was Andy Burgoyne, with John Phillips runner up, and Les Wood third.
The heading photo shows Tuba Wong and his secret R.
The 2026 Nationals took place on the famous Bwlch in South Wales.
Conditions turned out to be ballistic with round 1 in winds of 22 m/s. We were all pouring ballast into our models.
Greg sneaking in some extra ballast during the briefing by Les
Stefan Bertschi showed the way. After an 800 km drive from Switzerland he was in no mood to take things easy, showing a controlled and accurate EM style throughout the weekend.
Stefan was on a mission all weekend, with a consistent and rapid style
Like all of us, his times got progressively faster. He started off with a 38 before a flight of 29.59 seconds in round 4!
Usually, 40 seconds is the benchmark for a fast flight, but it took until round 4 before Pete Gunning became the first pilot in the top 4 not to go sub-40. You know it’s been something special when that happens.
Keep an eye on things, Pete!
The gusting winds led to Mike Evans and Jon Edison deciding on discretion rather than racing. The day was then brought to a close and we headed for a well-deserved drink.
Day 2 (Sunday)
Sunday started unpromisingly, but soon the sun was beating down and the wind settling to a balmy breeze of 16 – 20 m/s.
The sunshine led to increasing thermal variation, with most pilots experiencing at least some glorious air. William’s Pitbull accelerated so fast out of turn 5 that turn 6 came up very, very quickly – well flown for a new PB, Will!
Les and Andy kept an eye on things all weekend – even when their shelter blew away.
Mark Treble took full advantage of the conditions and launched into a trademark day-two podium charge.
Stefan managed to hold on to his winning position while Mark’s second place pushed Pete down to third – and Greg off the podium.
A worthy top 3 bask in the Welsh sunshine
Acknowedgements
Many thanks to Andy Burgoyne, Les Wood, Mark Treble and helpers. A special mention to Les, who despite not being able to fly, stayed on to organise and grace us with his company.
Results
After 10 rounds
1 S Bertschi 8792.36 1000.00 2 M Treble 8492.28 965.87 3 P Gunning 8383.10 953.45 4 G Dakin 8246.67 937.93 5 A Burgoyne 8160.86 928.17 6 W Fourie 8001.21 910.01 7 M Shellim 7846.70 892.44 8 I Mason 7115.52 809.28 9 P Stubley 7058.93 802.84 10 M Evans 5473.99 622.58 11 J Edison 5080.31 577.80
Fastest time: 29.59 by Stefan Bertschi in round 4 Round winners: Greg Dakin, Peter Gunning (2), Stefan Bertschi (5), Mark Treble (2)
The Nationals was the first race since the F3F world lost Espen Torp, a multiple Viking Race winning great of the sport. Over the decades several of us had the pleasure of getting to know Espen as a friend, either in Norway or one of his many international travels.
A friend and simply good bloke – you’ll be missed Espen.
Champion of Champions closes winter season in style
The end of the winter F3F season may not be time to put away the winter thermals – since 2009 it’s been the time for the two-day Champion of Champions race.
This year’s race was held in the stunning setting of the North Yorkshire Moors, and as I drove up on the Friday I knew that I would be in for some special fish and chips as well as F3F.
Potential champions all
Multiday races are about the time to reconnect with good friends as well as the racing. Arriving the day before to enjoy some relaxed flying before the race reminds me of how I should be flying when the race starts the next day. It was great to meet up with almost half the field on a windblown Levisham.
Day 1 (Saturday)
Saturday saw everyone reassemble at Levisham, with the sun shining and the wind coming straight on. Those that took the opportunity to test fly certainly enjoyed the conditions.
A Motley crew stay warm on the edge before the start.
Perhaps the flight that turned the most heads was Greg Dakin, who was having only his second day with his new Saker and Wyvern models. Greg managed to scream his Wyvern around the slope EM style that had most pilots impressed and me worried he was going to rip the wings off it!
The Saker and Wyvern prowling
The wind being pulled around by the thermal activity did lead to some variation in the conditions. Mark Treble made the most of the conditions and landed a string of round wins – it was impressive to see him drag every ounce of speed out of the air.
Scotish raider Pete Gunning’s Freestylers at the ready
Flying his ‘well-loved’ Pitbull 1 Mark showed that the more you practise the luckier you become. By the end of the day Mark, Pete Gunning and Greg were starting to establish themselves at the top of the leaderboard as we headed for some refreshment.
Day 2 (Sunday)
Sunday proved to be one last blast of winter as the wind picked up steadily from 20 to 40mph throughout the morning.
Pete Gunning, flying his trusty Freestyler was on a charge. No more so than when he put in a blistering 31 second run to deliver what became the fastest time of the day among a raft of sub 40 times.
Hats off to Les, he didn’t get the chance to race the Mamba
Among the pilots and models that stood out was Andy Burgoyne and his Mamba. On the ground the Mamba’s quality is undoubted, while in the air it gives the impression of an agile and responsive model.
One pilot who deserves a special mention is Les Wood. Les’ broken wrist stopped him from flying his Mamba, but he ran the course on both days.
As the forecast rain came in, we beat a path for our cars with Mark holding on to first place by just 47 points with his 11,458 score.
Happy podium, Pete, Mark and Greg
A fantastic weekend’s flying organised by the North Yorkshire club, thirteen rounds of racing in a stunning location in excellent company.
After weeks of rotten weather, finally we had a Southern league competition to remember!
Ten competitors showed up, not bad considerting the poor forecast. Conditions were on the SW bowl were good, with a ~15 mph breeze almost straight on the slope. By the time we packed up, ten splendid rounds had been flown.
There are more winter league events to come, so do have a look at the events calendar!
Results
1 John Philips 7566.11 1000.00 2 Mike Bleathman 7469.34 987.21 3 Mike Shellim 7324.14 968.01 4 William Fourie 7254.92 958.87 5 Joe Cubitt 7236.17 956.39 6 Bruce Hudson 6802.60 899.08 7 Ian Mason 6732.37 889.80 8 Simon Kronfeld 6294.23 831.89 9 Tony Robertson 5969.80 789.01 10 Jess Nicholls 5771.94 762.86
The first event of 2025 took place on Mickeys West – the most physically demanding section of the Bwlch. Fortunately we had nice winds of 5 – 10 m/s and only a few spots of drizzle.
By the half way stage it had settled into a contest between Mark Redsell and Andy Burgoyne. Mark just managed to win after a late charge by Andy. Mark also recorded the fastest time with a 34.38 second run.
Pilot of the day was Phil Taylor with three sub-40s on the way to a splendid third place, flying his FS6. It was great to see him in such good form.
All in all a most enjoyable day and hopefully a portent of good things to come. Roll on the Nationals on 17/18 May!
Results
1 M Redsell 10334.85 1000.00 2 A Burgoyne 10327.15 999.25 3 P Taylor 10142.04 981.34 4 M Treble 10032.48 970.74 5 J Cubitt 9999.70 967.57 6 M Evans 9794.76 947.74 7 L Wood 9592.45 928.16 8 M Passingham 9495.35 918.76 9 B Hudson 9409.13 910.42 10 M Shellim 9321.45 901.94 11 I Mason 9271.79 897.13 12 P Stubley 9139.76 884.36 13 B Larrett 4263.72 412.55
A good turnout with 14 rounds flown. The winner was Greg Dakin who flew a tight course in the flat conditions.
Runner up was Mark Redsell, with Peter Gunning third.
Fastest time was by Mike Shellim.
Acknowedgements
Thanks to Jon Edison and Mark Treble for organising.
Results
After 14 rounds
1 G Dakin 12121.96 1000.00
2 M Redsell 12011.05 990.85
3 P Gunning 11738.54 968.36
4 M McCracken 11656.73 961.62
5 S Haley 11602.68 957.16
6 E Maxwell 11439.62 943.71
7 M Evans 11304.84 932.59
8 M Shellim 11256.68 928.61
9 M Treble 11126.86 917.90
10 D Demott 10942.43 902.69
11 B Larrett 10903.38 899.47
12 J Edison 10202.93 841.68
13 B Dickenson 9999.76 824.92
14 T Heaversedge 2317.88 191.21
Fastest time 38.56 seconds by Mike Shellim in round 1
Round winners: Greg Dakin (4), Mark Redsell (3), Ewen Maxwell (2), Dave De Mott (1), Mike McCracken (1), Steve Haley (1), Mike Shellim (1), Mark Treble (1)
Hard to believe that the Welsh Open has been running now for 30 years – it still feels as fresh as ever, though this year the numbers were a little down due to the proximity of the World Championships.
It turned out to be an excellent competition too, with some fast times – and an emphatic win for Joel West who won 7 of the 14 rounds with some metronomically precise flying.
Day One
The first day at Mickey’s West was the most demanding as it’s a long walk from the car. Fortunately those with 4×4’s were able to ferry some kit and pilots. The wind wasn’t quite so amenable though – the wind was NW and very light so it was DLG’s and electric until the wind swung round.
We finally started flying around mid-day, and managed to get in four rounds. Joel West (FS5) held the lead at day’s end, with Mark Redsell in second (FS6) and Aleix in third place.
Day Two
It was back to Mickey’s for the second day, this time on the SW slope. Conditions were a bit weird with thermal lift cycling at irregular intervals, and times varied between the thirties and fifties.
Nevertheless we had a great day’s flying, with ten rounds flown (not quite enough for a second discard). Stefan Bertschi slipped into third place with his Device, with Aleix dropping to fifth.
Day Three
SW slope again. The wind conditions looked brilliant but sadly low cloud prevented any competitive flying. So the results from Day 2 remained.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Kevin Newton for his usual excellent CD’ing – and for making the trip down from Scotland. Also to Andrzej, Mark and other helpers – as always, the many enjoy the fruits of the hard work of the few.
A couple more thoughts before wrapping up: it was great to see Phil Taylor flying so well after a difficult time. And good to have our Dutch and Swiss friends again.
Roll on 2025!
Results
After 14 rounds
1 J West 12563.32 1000.00
2 M Redsell 11345.49 903.06
3 S Bertschi 11254.60 895.83
4 G Dakin 11208.97 892.19
5 A Ingles Elias 11065.74 880.79
6 S Bernardy 10973.93 873.48
7 K Newton 10959.05 872.30
8 M Treble 10934.86 870.37
9 G Mahoney 10925.77 869.65
10 E Heijne 10813.57 860.72
11 F Donker Duyvis 10800.95 859.72
12 M Shellim 10758.82 856.36
13 P Gunning 10749.74 855.64
14 A Van Vark 10649.97 847.70
15 M Evans 10607.42 844.31
16 M Passingham 10540.71 839.00
17 W Fourie 10530.67 838.20
18 P Lemans 10398.97 827.72
19 L Wood 10375.16 825.82
20 P Taylor 10368.52 825.30
21 P Stubley 10328.95 822.15
22 A Burgoyne 10306.57 820.36
23 D Rumble 10191.53 811.21
24 I Mason 10148.54 807.79
25 B Hudson 9911.98 788.96
26 D Demott 9747.88 775.90
27 J Edison 9695.09 771.69
28 J Phillips 3293.01 262.11
29 M Freeman 3012.93 239.81
30 M Fletcher 0.00 0.00
30 R Bago 0.00 0.00
30 J Bioletti 0.00 0.00
Fastest time 31.67 seconds by Joel West in round 7
Round winners: Joel West (7), Aleix Ingles Elias (1), Dave Rumble (1), Frits Donker Duyvis (1), Les Wood (1), Mark Redsell (1), Mark Treble (1), Stefan Bernardy (1)
The English Open is always fun! This year we welcomed two new F3F pilots in Mick Fletcher and Mike Crofts. Visiting from Holland was Eric Heijne accompanied by his dad.
The comp
Flying took place at Whitesheet on the NW slope. The wind was light and just four rounds were completed on the first day. Sunday was much better with ten rounds flown.
Graeme Mahoney went one up on last year by taking top spot with less than a point separating Graeme from runner-up Mike Evans. I can’t recall scores so close! Last year’s winner John Phillips was third.
Acknowedgements
Many thanks to organisers Nigel Witchalls, Graeme Mahoney and helpers for a splendid weekend. And to Allen Elliott for expertly manning my camera while I flew – it’s not often that I get to see photos of myself at a comp.
Looking forward to next year already!.
Results
After 14 rounds
1 G Mahoney 11298.81 1000.00
2 M Evans 11298.05 999.93
3 J Phillips 11191.81 990.52
4 M Treble 11113.29 983.58
5 M Shellim 11068.93 979.65
6 P Taylor 11049.18 977.90
7 E Heijne 11044.51 977.49
8 M Bleathman 10953.50 969.43
9 B Hudson 10816.06 957.27
10 P Stubley 10795.97 955.49
11 A Elliott 10507.32 929.94
12 I Falconer 10259.04 907.97
13 D DeMott 10213.53 903.94
14 A Burgoyne 10035.47 888.18
15 G Hill 10002.33 885.25
16 M Fletcher 7574.67 670.39
17 M Crofts 6679.83 591.19
Fastest time 41.73 seconds by John Phillips in round 10
Round winners: Graeme Mahoney (2), Paul Stubley (2), Eric Heijne (2), John Phillips (2), Mike Evans (1), Bruce Hudson (1), Mark Treble (1), Phil Taylor (1), Mike Shellim (1), Andy Burgoyne (1)
1 Armin Hortzitz 11754.91
2 Peter Kowalski 11602.49
3 Dieter Perlick 11504.20
4 Manuel Rath 11464.19
5 Mike Evans 11431.60
6 John Philips 11313.88
7 Peter Gunning 11169.51
8 Eric Heine 11095.32
9 Markus Meissner 11092.55
10 Stefan Bertschi 11064.12
11 Rich Bago 11033.65
12 Andreas Aigner 10968.04
13 Mark Treble 10967.63
14 Frits Donker Duyvis 10904.43
15 Josef Wiklicky 10839.33
16 Nic Wright 10821.69
17 Willim Fourie 10816.62
18 Stefan Bernardy 10786.09
19 Arjen van Vark 10734.10
20 Torsten Herman 10630.12
21 Siegfried Schedel 10524.45
22 Ewan Maxwell 10412.69
23 Rick Ruijsink 10245.86
24 Mike Shellim 10220.30
25 Bruce Hudson 10139.99
26 Jon Edison 9846.81
27 Dave Demott 9826.06
28 Maria Freeman 9698.70
29 Dave Watson 9578.14
30 Robert Carson 9440.72
31 Les Wood* 8962.11
32 Steve Macken 8804.37
33 Andy Burgoyne* 8333.96
34 John Treble 3668.22
* flew two rounds only
Fastest time Mike Evans 33.96
