New Zealand hosts first gliding grand prix
Monday, 12 Dec 2005 10:24
Pilots will glide over New Zealand's Southern Alps
New Zealand is doing its reputation for extreme sports no harm by hosting the world's first gliding grand prix.
From the country famed for bungee jumping and white water rafting, this latest feat of death-defying madness is expected to entertain up to 15,000 spectators when it gets underway in January.
The event, described as the Formula One of the sky, will see ten gliders race against each other head-to-head – sometimes flying just metres from the ground.
Pilots will rip along the Ben Ohau Range of mountains, while live coverage is fed back to spectators at the Omarama airfield in Waitaki, North Otago.
Competitors, including current world champion New Zealander Steve Coutts, will compete for qualification for the second world sailplane grand prix in 2007.
The event takes place between January 21st and 29th, with racing on the final three days (January 27th to 29th) open to spectators.
For more information see:
www.gp06.com/ or
www.newzealand.com
And for those visitors who fancy seeing New Zealand's dramatic landscapes from the air themselves, Omrama airfield has its own gliding school. See:
www.glideomarama.com