"Super Mario" Kiessling Strikes Again in Race 3 at Vinon
01/09/2026 - Vinon, France - Germany’s Mario Kiessling (I) delivered another masterclass in Alpine gliding today, securing his second daily win of the FAI Sailplane Grand Prix of France in Vinon. Flying his Ventus 3T through a highly technical 208 kilometer circuit, Kiessling demonstrated exceptional energy management to extend his lead at the top of the overall leaderboard with 27 total points.
Route Overview and Soaring Conditions
Following the high-altitude action of Day 2, Race 3 presented a sharp sprint through the Southern Alps and the Parcours. While thermals were slightly less booming than the previous afternoon, conditions remained highly selective.
The Route: Manosque (Start) → Mallefougasse (TP1) → Mezel (TP2) → B Morgon (TP3) → Pontoise Farm (Report 20) → Vinon (Finish).
Weather Conditions: Workable but uneven thermals dictated the pace; average climb rates clustered tightly between 1.5 and 2.1 m/s across the field, making every altitude decision critical.
Completion Rate: Nineteen of the twenty starters successfully completed the task, with the leading pack averaging more than 130 km/h. Conrat Hartter (OT) failed to complete the task after a low point near St-Auban that left him out alone, for the rest of the task.
Tactical Breakdown: The Decisive Final Legs
The race was not decided at a single turnpoint, but rather across the aggressive final two legs. On Leg 4 (Mezel to Morgon), the speed spread across the finishers reached 61.2 km/h, the widest gap of the afternoon to that point, with Kiessling pushing ahead at 163.8 km/h.
The true separation came on the final run home to the Pontoise Farm finish band (Leg 5), where the speed spread blew out to a staggering 73.8 km/h. Kiessling executed a commanding final glide of 219.4 km/h on this leg. He managed his energy flawlessly, taking 19 thermals with an average climb of 1.9 m/s (besting at 3.9 m/s) and spending a lean 35 percent of his flight circling. He crossed the finish line with just 35 metres to spare above the 310-metre minimum altitude requirement, claiming the win in 01:32:37.
David Bauder (DC) mounted a fierce challenge, finishing just 84 seconds adrift in 01:34:01. While Bauder actually outpaced Kiessling on the final glide with a blistering Leg 5 speed of 228.9 km/h, the gap had already been sealed prior to the Morgon turn. Bauder's slightly lower climb average of 1.7 m/s and a softer Leg 4 pace of 161.2 km/h ultimately accounted for the deficit.
Nicolas Bernhard (NB) claimed third place, finishing 31 seconds behind Bauder. Bernhard found the strongest lift of the top five, recording a best thermal of 4.3 m/s. However, a Leg 4 speed of 154.5 km/h and a Leg 5 speed of 185.3 km/h, 54 km/h slower than Bauder over the final stretch, kept him on the lower step of the podium. Just two seconds behind Bernhard was Thierry Boilley (DY), who matched the Ventus fleet through the middle sectors and closed strongly with a Leg 5 speed of 208.2 km/h.
Official Race 3 Podium
Racing remained remarkably close across the top ten, with the top nine pilots separated by less than three and a half minutes.
Livestream & Media Highlights
Viewers following the live action at sgp.aero/live enjoyed real-time telemetry analysis and local commentary from our team, breaking down the critical thermal selections and ridge-running tactics.
Following the race, fans caught the live post-flight interviews from the airfield grid in Vinon, including a recap from daily winner Mario Kiessling as he broke down his winning strategy heading into the rest of the competition week.
Stay tuned as we gear up for Race 4 tomorrow! Have a great evening from the Vinon Team! Pizza party tonight on the airfield.
