Holighaus Takes the Overall Lead with a Decisive Race 4 Victory
01/07/2026 - Starmoen, Norway - A surge of moisture and a stubbornly low cloud base transformed Race Day 4 into a difficult tactical battle for the fleet at Starmoen. Thirteen pilots launched into demanding Scandinavian skies for a 151 kilometer sprint to the south, navigating broken, moderate lift that rarely exceeded 2.0 metres per second.
This was not a day where brute glide performance dictated the leaderboard. Rather, it was a profound test of thermal selection and split-second timing.
The Route and The Weather
The start gate opened at 12:30 LT, sending gliders on a southern route that required them to round four technical turnpoints: Starmoen → Gjesåsen Kirke → Gjølstad Flyplass → Storberget → Jømna → Starmoen Finish S.
With a minimum finish altitude set at 416m QNH, the pilots faced a constant struggle to maintain energy in a sky that punished any miscalculation. Speeds across the field clustered between 91 and 105 km/h, reflecting the highly technical nature of the airmass.
The Decisive Moment: Leg 3
Germany’s Tilo Holighaus (3V), flying his Ventus 3T, claimed a masterful victory with a scoring time of 01:26:23 and an official average speed of 104.9 km/h (calculated at 104.7 km/h raw track speed).
The race was effectively decided on the critical third leg: the push from Gjølstad to Storberget. While the rest of the fleet struggled to connect the fragmented lift, Holighaus unleashed a blistering 153.8 km/h on this section, running a massive 10.6 km/h faster than his nearest rival. The speed spread on Leg 3 was a staggering 69.7 km/h between the fastest and slowest gliders, making it the widest delta of the day.
Tilo Holighaus achieved this by working just eight thermals throughout the entire task, averaging 2.0 m/s. He didn't find more lift than the rest of the field; he found better thermals that allowed him to press his advantage and glide on.
The Podium and The Chasing Pack
1st - Tilo Holighaus (3V | Ventus 3T): Secured 1st place in 01:26:23 at 104.9 km/h, earning the maximum 10 points.
2nd - Klaus Kalmbach (CT | JS-3-18m): Ran a strong second throughout the final half of the race, finishing just 43 seconds behind Holighaus. Kalmbach posted the field's best individual climb of 2.6 m/s and matched the leader's 35% thermaling time, but couldn't close the gap opened on Leg 3.
3rd - Kato Kvitne (EL | JS-3 Res 18m): Claimed third, finishing 3 minutes and 3 seconds off the lead. Kvitne's pace was slower on the opening leg (78.2 km/h) and a 106.9 km/h run on the critical Leg 3, nearly 47 km/h off Holighaus's pace in that sector. But made the best flying decision of the day, by climbing in a powerful thermal behind the main pack, and choosing to fly straight to the Reporting Point and the Finish Line, rather than following the hills on the East side of the track. By doing that, he by-passed 7 pilots and jumped on the podium! Absolute masterclass from his, great decision making!
Just behind the podium, Estonia's Teet Jagomägi (56) grabbed fourth place. Jagomägi produced the most outstanding sprint of the entire field on Leg 5 (RP to FL), clocking in at 213.3 km/h, though a slower fourth leg proved too costly to catch the leaders. Michael Pfennig (S) rounded out the top five, finishing a mere two seconds behind Jagomägi and spending a field-low 33% of his task time thermaling. Being more offensive
Penalties and Survival Margins
The punishing conditions left zero margin for error in the final glide.
Petr Panek (IGC) flew a highly competitive task to cross the line in sixth place in raw time. However, he suffered a 56-second penalty after flying below the minimum altitude band between the reporting point and the finish line :14 metres below the 416-metre QNH minimum. This dropped his scoring speed to 98.5 km/h, underlining how lean the energy reserves were, and how penalties can affect the scoring.
Jo Inge Bjørø in the Ventus 3 was the sole ‘DNF’ of the day. He reached the final turnpoint but crossed the finish line at 371 metres. Being 45 metres below the minimum deck put him outside the 40-metre safety tolerance. On a day this difficult, his penalty and DNF reflects the severe depletion of the airmass on final glide rather than any failure of effort, to try to abide the strict rules of the Sailplane Grand Prix.
Official Race 4 Results
Overall Standings Tighten
With just a few races remaining, the battle for the overall weekly victory is closer than ever. Holighaus's win today catapults him to the top of the event classification with 30 points, edging out Arne Martin Güettler (28 points) and Kato Kvitne (23 points).
Tomorrow, rain is expected in the area, and a Rest Day is highly likely. Stay tuned!
