Millenaar Claims Race 4 Victory and Overall Lead at Farrenberg
13/08/2026 - Farrenberg, Germany - The Swabian Alb presented a 268 kilometer tactical puzzle for the fourth round of the FAI Sailplane Grand Prix Germany. Despite the challenging blue skies and invisible lift, the world-class grid rose to the occasion: all twenty starters successfully completed the rigorous six-turnpoint task.
In a race defined by razor-thin margins and crucial routing decisions over the Black Forest, Peter Millenaar (MM) executed a flawless finish to step up from yesterday’s podium and claim a brilliant victory.
The Task: 268 km of Invisible Energy
The course dragged the fleet away from Farrenberg, initiating at Ringingen before navigating a complex web through Sigmaringen, Kirnbergsee, Freudenstadt, Ittenhausen, and Aichelau, eventually hitting the Heufeld reporting point for the final glide home.
With zero cumulus clouds to mark the thermals, pilots were forced to rely on instinct and deep terrain knowledge. The Swabian Jura offered thermal heights around 2,300m, but pushing toward the Black Forest provided a much-needed 500m boost in the ceiling. Average climb rates across the field hovered between 1.8 and 2.1 metres per second, meaning energy was workable but never abundant.
The Race Breakdown: Millenaar's Mid-Race Strike
Peter Millenaar (MM) took the victory in his JS3-JET-18m with a total task time of 02:14:17, maintaining an impressive average speed of 119.4 km/h.
The race wasn't won on the final glide; it was decisively captured across legs five and six.
On leg five (Freudenstadt to Ittenhausen), the field fractured. Millenaar seized the moment, tearing across this sector at 159.9 km/h—the fastest speed of any finisher on that leg.
He compounded this advantage on the short punch to Aichelau (leg six), posting 128.0 km/h against a field minimum of just 97.8 km/h.
Millenaar’s energy management was absolute perfection: he crossed the finish line with exactly 1,025 metres of altitude remaining, a mere 25 metres above the mandatory 1000m floor. He committed every spare meter of altitude into raw speed.
Official Podium & Notable Performances
The battle for the podium was incredibly tight, with the top six pilots averaging speeds clustered closely between 117 and 119 km/h before the pack began to separate.
1st Place: Peter Millenaar (MM) secured the top spot and 10 championship points.
2nd Place: Kai Lindenberg (MX) crossed the line in his ASG 29E 18m just 23 seconds behind Millenaar, earning 8 points. Lindenberg actually averaged slightly better climbs (2.1 m/s against Millenaar's 1.9 m/s) and ran legs two, three, and four faster. However, a slightly slower leg five (157.4 km/h) ultimately created the decisive deficit.
3rd Place: Conrad Hartter (OT) rounded out the podium in his JS-1, finishing 1 minute and 45 seconds off the lead to secure 7 points. Hartter fought hard until the very end, posting the best single thermal of the top three (3.5 m/s) and delivering the fastest Leg seven speed of anyone on the grid at a blistering 279.1 km/h.
Just off the podium, Rasmus Orskov (RX) finished fourth, a heartbreaking two seconds behind Hartter. Orskov established an aggressive early pace, dominating the opening sector with a leg one speed of 168.6 km/h, the fastest of the entire field, but lost ground navigating the tricky lift on leg two.
With another demanding blue day in the books, the tactical battle for the Farrenberg title continues to heat up. Stay tuned as the grid resets for tomorrow's racing!
