Yesterday was a defining day in the 2009 Red Bull X-Alps. Chrigel Maurer pulled easily away from the reigning champion Alex Hofer, who had a terrible day trying to get from the Matterhorn to Mt Blanc. Maurer is now a flight away from goal, leaving Hofer still at the Mt Blanc turnpoint.
Meanwhile, behind them the rest of the field has been getting pulled apart by a series of heartbreaking penalties levied by the race organisers for various airspace infringements. 2007 runner up and public favourite, Toma Cocanea, had his already disastrous race finally curtailed with disqualification. Toma had already fallen out with his supporter who had quit a day earlier, and thrown his reserve! The disqualification will have come as a massive blow to the Romanian who has become something of a national celebrity through his four appearances in the race.
Austrian Heli Eichholzer was equally disqualified from the race for entering airspace for only 35 seconds. Heli was in third place at the time! Added to Raul Penso’s earlier disqualification three athletes have now been ejected from the race for airspace violations.
Toma Coconea, out for airspace infringement
Martin Muller, the first man to Monaco in 2007 and a three time Swiss paragliding champion, was forced to retire with an ankle injury sustained during a top landing yesterday. The field is now reduced to 19 pilots, and will soon be slashed to 18 when Masayuki Matsubara gets eliminated for being the last athlete today.
Martin Muller sustained an ankle injury and is also out
The front of the race may be sewn up, but the battle for third place is tight – fought. Cross Country’s own resident meteorologist, Honza Rejmanek, is locked in a battle with Brit Aiden Toase. The pair are only a kilometre or so apart and have just taken the Matterhorn turnpoint. Their flying performance today will really determine how the rest of their race turns out.
With Chrigel likely to make the coast tonight, the race is on to cover as much distance as possible in the 48 hours that the race will continue for once the first pilot arrives in goal. Hofer should make it, but Aiden and Honza have to pull something amazing out the bag of they are going to see the beach.
Chrigel Maurer closing on Monaco
Watch the action live on www.redbullxalps.com
