Erik Borgmann Blazes to Victory in Race 4 at Vinon
02/09/2026 - Vinon, France - The pace was absolutely blistering today in Vinon as the FAI Sailplane Grand Prix of France continued with Race 4. Under partly cloudy Alpine skies, twenty pilots tackled a highly technical 310.9-kilometer task, pushing their gliders to the absolute limits. In a thrilling finish, the Netherlands' Erik Borgmann claimed his first victory of the competition, securing the win on a breathtaking final glide.
Route Overview and Tactical Conditions
Today's task demanded both speed and strategic composure. With a few cumulus clouds marking the lift along roughly half of the course—particularly between St Auban and Savines—the pilots faced a dynamic sky.
The Route: Manosque Pont (Start) → Montgardin (TP1) → Mézel (TP2) → Savines (TP3) → Pontoise Farm (Report Point) → Vinon (Finish).
Weather Conditions: Pilots utilized a maximum ceiling of around 2,700m AMSL, with average thermals ranging from 2 to 3 m/s.
Completion Rate: In a testament to the skill level across the grid, all 20 pilots successfully completed the task.
Prior to the 12:45 UTC (14:45 LT) start, fans were treated to our Grid Walk with Indya Ruijgrok! The format provided viewers with exclusive insights into the pilots' mindsets and tactics just moments before they launched into the 310.9 km battle.
The Decisive Final Glide
The racing was remarkably close throughout the early sectors, with average speeds for the finishers clustering between 117 and 138 km/h. However, the defining moments of Race 4 unfolded during the critical fifth leg from Savines to the finish line.
Borgmann, flying a JS-3-18m, dominated this leg thanks to his flying technique and good use of energy lines. He leveraged strong thermals across the flight, averaging 2.6 m/s with a peak of 4.8 m/s, the strongest climbing numbers among the top five. Committing every available meter of height to speed, Borgmann arrived at the finish band exactly at the 310-metre minimum altitude limit. He crossed the line in 02:14:53, achieving an incredible average speed of 138.3 km/h.
Overall leader Mario Kiessling (I) maintained his exceptional form, flying his Ventus 3T to a second-place finish. Kiessling was the most consistent pilot through the middle sectors, maintaining speeds over 146 km/h on legs two and three. However, a slightly lower average climb rate of 2.1 m/s cost him incrementally, leaving him just 25 seconds behind Borgmann at the finish.
Jean-Denis Barrois (FM) rounded out the podium in third place. Barrois flew a phenomenal line through the Mézel sector to record the fastest leg-three speed of the day at 163.8 km/h, crossing the finish line only 39 seconds adrift of the leader.
Official Race 4 Podium
With only 38 seconds separating the entire podium after more than two hours of high-speed racing, today's results underscore the incredibly tight margins at the Sailplane Grand Prix.
A World Premiere: Live On-Board Coverage
Fans following the race online were treated to a special livestream hosted by Antoine, as today marked a truly historic milestone in the development of the Sailplane Grand Prix. For the first time ever, we successfully deployed our own live on-board camera module flying actively during the race! The system was carried in a two-seater Duo Discus glider, piloted by Mr. Philippe Souquet, President of the AAVA (Vinon Gliding Club), with club member Mr. Loic Martin flying in the front seat.
This world premiere allowed fans and followers to experience the intensity of the race from inside the two-seater during the livestreaming, marking a massive leap forward in the broadcast development of gliding.
Stay tuned tomorrow to discover more about this groundbreaking step for the SGP, as one of our competing pilots will embark the system and fly with it!
