Staufen Cup 2025

This year's racing season is a bit like last year's. Race after race is canceled or moved to an alternative date due to weather. This is how the race was moved Zillertal Battle , whose specialty is a very strong cast of great pilots from the leading WPRS places, who, however, race here on wings of max. EN-B category. The race has been moved twice already and this week is its last, i.e. 2rd term.

The race was also moved. Dobrca Open from the regular to the alternative date, i.e. from tomorrow's original opening task to next Thursday. This is a very busy race in a beautiful setting. It is sought after mainly for the registration method (speed of registration and not WPRS points) and also for the great organization, low price and excellent organizers. Unfortunately, many pilots have canceled the alternative date, as they would have little time to move to the subsequent Monte Grappa in Italy, one of the largest European races outside of PWC at all (last year, Grappa was not held due to bad weather).

For organizational reasons, the Flory Cup – the vanguard of Monte Grappa, another of the beautiful races, was also completely cancelled this year, so it wasn't announced at all. So let's see what wasn't announced, and which race will actually take place!

Staufen Cup

The Staufen Cup was also scheduled for the same date as Dobrča in Slovenia. That is, from April 3rd to 6.4th. Those who did not make it to Dobrča ultimately won because they were flying in the wonderful weather and great environment of the western tip of Austria.

In the race, we will follow the Czech pilots Tomáš Breburda, Petr Kožíšek and Jirka Kopecký. Two of the three pilots are members of the extended team, so Michal Talavašek, a member of the TL XC team, came to watch them closely. We would like to thank him for the information about the race and for submitting the report.

130 pilots are registered for the race, including legendary paragliding matadors. We will find such names as a German pilot of Czech origin, the great Daniel Tyrkas (the best pilot of the racing field and 5th overall in the WPRS), or Ferdinand Vogel, Alexander Schalber, Philippe Haag or Flavio Funniati.

STAUFEN CUP 2025 #1. and 2. task

Compared to the initial post, the ratio of Czech pilots changed after the start of the race, as the race also started with Michal Talavašek, who originally went to check on his charges from the extended repre. But we all know how it is with pilots with a racing soul! When there is a free place at the start, fantastic views all around, snowfields, sun, thermals and other races cancelled, plus he happens to have his own wing in the car, it's hard to keep the pilot on the ground!

Yesterday and today, beautiful tasks of about 70 km long were flown. Yesterday's start was quite windy, everyone was chasing each other at the start, some components of the race were getting acquainted in the air - e.g. leaf bags with pilots, etc.

One pilot described his rough start to us: "When I finally got into the submarine properly on the third attempt, they switched the south wind to the north and I went out of the snow. I don't know what it looked like after that, but I didn't have an ideal start, just like many other pilots."

The pilots enjoyed the snowy mountains and valleys, then the route sent them to the lake in a cloudless sky with weak climbs. The last 15 km were already full of clouds and climbs and as a bonus, strong valleys.

Today we started early, unlike yesterday without any problems. At the beginning there were not many thermals, but the beautiful panoramas from yesterday remained in place. Landing here is very challenging, in a classic autogyro. Jirka Kopecký had a so-so goal today, but in the end he achieved it!

Unsurprisingly, the top three overall were Daniel Tyrkas, Phillipe Haag and Ferdinand Vogel.

The last three photos of today are not from the reported race, but from the cancelled Dobrča, where Petr traveled. Kostrhunbecause Petr went crazy and decided to be our mobile reporter across European terrain. Thank you for that!

STAUFEN CUP 2025 #3. task

A day like a painting.

We have a short report from one of the pilots:

After a short climb through the mountains, a turn on the flats and against the wind. No one flew over the ridge, so a lift in the nourishing lee in the meat grinder between the flapping double lines. Then it was about missing the space, which at 300 agl on a huge mountain is not an easy task, and when the best climb in the area is there, it is impossible.

The big mountains were pretty good, but towards the last turn on the flats it got worse, and we had two jumps over ridges. Tomáš did it at 20 m agl, Tala had to come back a bit at the last one and it cost him the victory in the task. So Tála had himself to blame, a return for a climb that wasn't there. The end was mostly easy, along the inflated ridge you can fly really low.

The next day, the weather was no longer suitable for flying, so the results were announced after this, LA 3rd task.

In the OPEN category, the placings were as follows:

1. Ferdinand Vogel

2. Philipp Haag

3. Alexander Schalber

The best place among our competitors was Petr Kožíšek, who also became the winner of the Serial category (up to EN-D). Congratulations!

In 15th place were Michal Talavašek, 22nd Tomáš Breburda and 53rd Jiří Kopecký.

As our correspondent writes from the spot: