‘Super’ Mario Kiessling Wins Race 1 of the French SGP at Vinon
30/08/2026 - Vinon, France - The FAI Sailplane Grand Prix of France in Vinon kicked off with a spectacular opening day, delivering high speeds and a flawless 100% finish rate for the twenty competing pilots, who all crossed the finish line a few seconds or minutes apart. A measured and demanding 275 kilometrt circuit challenged the fleet, proving that positioning and precise thermal selection were the ultimate keys to victory in the Southern Alps.
The Route and Conditions
The grid saw excellent weather for the inaugural race, starting with blue thermals that evolved into a healthy distribution of cumulus clouds as the afternoon progressed. The pilots enjoyed solid maximum ceilings reaching up to 3,500m in the mountains.
The Task: A 275 km sprint threading north through the Alps.
Turnpoints: Manosque Pont (Start) → Jausiers (TP1) → La Cluse (TP2) → Pontoise Farm (Report Point) → Vinon (Finish).
Start Line: Opened at 12:50 UTC (14:50 LT) with a maximum altitude of 1,600m.
Final Glide Masterclass in the Southern Alps
All twenty pilots successfully launched and jockeyed for position before crossing the start line, with only one penalty awarded at start.The real separation in the pack occurred during the critical final legs.
"Super Mario" Kiessling (I), flying a Ventus 3T, executed a masterclass in pacing to claim the top spot. He escaped after Pic de Bure and decided to use extra energy provided by ‘Chabre’ moutain on the west side of the Durance valley. This decisive move gave him more energy than the pilots who flew straight in the middle of the Valley near Sisteron.
Kiessling completed the task in 02:09:11, achieving an impressive average speed of 127.8 km/h. The race was largely decided on the final leg toward Pontoise Farm and the finish line; Kiessling recorded a blistering sector speed of 233.4 km/h on Leg 4, pulling more than 22 km/h clear of his closest rival. He crossed the finish line with 121 metres of altitude to spare, demonstrating perfect energy management under pressure.
Following closely behind was Didier Hauss (SD) in his JS1. Hauss led the field on the first leg at 109.1 km/h and remained in lockstep with Kiessling through Leg 3. However, a slightly slower final glide of 211.4 km/h left him just 34 seconds adrift of the lead, finishing in 02:09:45. Erik Borgmann (JG) in a JS3 rounded out the podium, touching the finish band exactly at the 315-metre minimum altitude. Borgmann spent 40 percent of his flight thermaling and finished only 59 seconds off the leader's pace.
Official Race 1 Podium
The racing at the top of the leaderboard was fiercely competitive.
1st Place: Mario Kiessling (DE) – Ventus 3T – 127.8 km/h (02:09:11) – 10 Points.
2nd Place: Didier Hauss (FR) – JS-1 – 127.2 km/h (+0:34) – 8 Points.
3rd Place: Erik Borgmann (NL) – JS-3-15m – 126.8 km/h (+0:59) – 7 Points.
4th Place: Kévin Faur (FR) – JS-3-15m – 126.6 km/h (+1:11) – 6 Points.
5th Place: Conrad Hartter (DE) – JS-1 – 126.3 km/h (+1:34) – 5 Points.
Live Tracking and Media Coverage
While live video broadcasting was paused for Race 1, the 2D and 3D live tracking systems provided real-time tactical insights for fans worldwide. The live telemetry data relays was not perfect, but sufficient to follow the race from abroad. Changes are being made to ensure a flawless experience for the coming days, as we continue our tests after the release of our new LiveTracking system at sgp.aero/livetracking !
Thank you to everyone who followed the action today, and for the very positive support. We look forward to seeing you back on the grid tomorrow for Race 2!
