Well from the outside it might not look like a sparkling triumph but from a team perspective there were many positives to take from this event. The 15 meter boys were always going to be up against it in probably the most competitive field seen for years. Both Chris and Nick (last minute reserve for the injured Tim Scott) having had absolutely no team flying practice, it was always going to be an uphill struggle. However, both had some outstanding individual flights and on may occasion lead or mixed it with the o'so dominant French team. Both can be proud of their achievements and I am sure they will have come away from this event with a new insight and a bucket load of speed for our domestic events back in the UK.
For the Open class, it was a mixed bag really with so much hope and promise, the early few days really made the job too big to get back, even after 9 days and a couple of day wins for Peter Harvey and some solid results from Steve Jones and a day win for Kim Tipple. In the end Steve's 5th place was made from hard work each day nibbling away at the leaders. Pete's 9th is not a true reflection of his talent but really a couple of poor days which were punished by the top class field. Kim's 10th was probably fair but could have been better given a day or too more, but it was not to be.
The 18's were overall our best performance with Gary Stingemore 7th, Ed Johnson 5th and Russell 3rd. The strength and depth in this very competitive filed from team GB took many of the others by surprise. The points spread at the end was very close and Russell was only a whisker away from Silver.
Looking at the other teams, the French, Dutch and the Danes stood out for me. The French were extremely well organised, calm, disciplined and focused. The Dutch were just relaxed, well-practiced and worked very well together. The Danes I think were probably the big surprise with a strong performance in the 18's which if not for an airspace infringement might of had two pilots in the top 5.
So that’s it, over for another couple of years, next time the Europeans are in the French Alps but before then, the Worlds are in Texas which will be a whole new ball game!