SAFA Skysailor Magazine

12 SKY SAILOR September-October-November | SPRING 2025 Czechmate: Beneš steals gold In the individual race, Italy’s Marco Laurenzi looked like the man to beat… until the final day. Enter Czech pilot Petr Beneš – calm, calculating, and gliding like a hunting hawk. On the last task, he clawed back the points he needed, pipping Laurenzi to take gold. Switzerland’s Peter Neuenschwander made a late surge to claim third. Team Australia: Six pilots, one purpose From the first launch, the Aussies looked like a team on a mission. Coach Guy Hubbard ran a tight ship Each morning, he’d pull out hand-drawn task maps with final glide calculations scrawled in pencil, giving the team a visual edge and a shot of confidence before they even clipped in. Rory Duncan was electric all week. On Day 4, he looked destined for the win, until savage sink before goal forced four des- perate turns to stay airborne. Two pilots slipped past him, bumping him to third. Still, 6th overall, his best Worlds finish yet, with more to come in the years ahead. High Stakes in the Spanish Sky “Silver never looked this shiny.” Jonny Durand Photos: Team AUS