The countdown is on. The Pentecost weekend has been used intensively for preparations for the Gliding Grand Prix in Elchingen.

Starting May 26th, the elite of gliding is going to compete in the sky high above the Swabian Alb.

For the first time, a Grand Prix for glider pilots will take place at the Aalen-Elchingen airfield during the week from May 26th through June 1st. Pilots from Germany and Europe are eager to qualify in Elchingen for the final competition in France. The list of participants reads like the Who's Who of gliding: The reigning world champion Tim Arscott; European champion Markus Frank; Tilo Holighaus, the former Grand Prix world champion; Steffen Göttler reached the third place at the last World Gliding Championships in Narromine some months ago, David Bauder, top world championship pilot; Steffen Schwarzer, participant in European and Word Championship and former military world champion; Sebastian Nägel who has just won the International Hahnweide Competition in the standard class last week; Robert Schröder, a multiple World Cup participant; and, local hero Paul Schwarz, member of the German junior national team who has qualified for the European Championships. Two-time European champion Erwin Ziegler will compete in the twin-seater class just like Eberhard Lauer. The Austrian world champion Wolfgang Janowitsch has also confirmed his participation.

The competition is getting organized by the Luftsportring Aalen. This last weekend, the entire grass runway on the airfield has been rolled and the glider hangar has got equipped with event technology. Signs have been put up and the stage has been set up for the briefing and award ceremonies. Everything is done voluntary and carried out by the Luftsportring members themselves.

The starting point for the seven air races is the Elchingen airfield near Neresheim on the Härtsfeld in Southern Germany. It has been there for exactly 70 years. It is owned by the flying club. From there, depending on the weather, up to 350 kilometers of routes are carried out soley using the thermal updrafts caused by solar power.  “The best pilots ultimately qualify for the final competition (in France). The pilots can reach speeds of up to 250 km/h," says Grand Prix sports director Bernd Schmid.

He is pleased that top-class pilots will be at the start this year in Elchingen. “The top 20 in the world rankings are eligible to participate!” “It is without a doubt the elite of gliding that starts from Elchingen!”

The two 15 meter classes are flown as specified by the international air sports organization - the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). For the first time, on the initiative of the Luftsportring Aalen, a 20-meter class will participate, flown with twin-seaters. “This will most probably be completely normal in 10 years,” says Helmut Albrecht, Chairman of the LSR Aalen.

If it happens like this - the Elchingers have invented it…

Bernd Schmid's job is to set the daily race tasks. “The weather dictates, so I fit the routes exactly into the right weather window.” “It’s a great challenge for the LSR Aalen as a club to organize something like that,” says Albrecht. Helmut Albrecht is pleased that the club has been able to bring a top-class event to the Ostalb region with the Grand Prix. For the first time, an international competition will be held in Elchingen. Bernd Schmid hopes that some of the gliding athletes will return!

Grand Prix racing in gliders is the fastest, most thrilling and exciting form of all gliding competitions. For one week, the pilots are given new tasks every day and they will have to track down the energy in the air and make optimal use of it. “We check the weather conditions every day and then determine the route,” says Schmid. “The gliders would fly where the weather is good, I send them and the pilots find the best racing conditions!”

The two best pilots will qualify for the final.

The Grand Prix is a gliding competition that can be compared to Formula 1. Every race begins with the opening of a virtual starting line – the so-called regatta start. Each pilot then chooses his or her own route in order to reach the mandatory turning points of the course as quickly as possible and fly over the finish line. The two pilots who have scored the most points at the end of the week will then qualify for the final which will take place in France in 2025. The respective winners of the ten qualifying races will then meet there.

The Grand Prix in Elchingen will also be extremely interesting for spectators

The action is streamed live on internet every day. Spectators around the world can check the status during the race. All flight parameters of the gliders are transmitted. A German/English moderation will inform the audience from the start of the gliders to the landing in Elchingen. Interviews, impressions and moods will be broadcasted. For everyone who wants to come to Elchingen, the entire competition is shown on a large video wall in the hangar. And, being able to experience the planes flying over in person is always a very impressive moment.

Catering will be provided in Elchingen throughout the week. The Luftsportring Aalen is looking forward to many visitors from May 26th to the grand finale on June 1st.