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Red Bull Vertigo 2002
International Hang-gliding & Paragliding Aerobatic Competition
At Villeneuve ( Switzerland ) August 23, 24 & 25, 2002.
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Pageant of the skies

This weekend (23 - 25 August 2002) the fifth international hanggliding and
paragliding aerobatic competition, the Red Bull Vertigo was held in
Villeneuve in the Swiss canton Vaud.

Unexpected great weather conditions literally gave wings to the event. 32
paraglider and 6 hangglider pilots from 13 countries showed gratitude with a
magnificent performance. They became flying artists demonstrating an amazing
array of acrobatic feats between the open sky and Lake Leman.

Only elite pilots can keep up with the Red Bull Vertigo. Among them are the
brothers Rodriguez of Spain, who won already twice this extraordinary
competition in Switzerland and who currently dominate the field of flight
acrobatics. The Red Bull Vertigo has become an absolute must for those who
represent the "crème de la crème" of paragliders and delta pilots.

The performances given by the flight acrobats dazzled the 20'000 spectators,
who were able to enjoy this spectacle for free and without needing
binoculars, right up close in the arena on the Ouchettaz Quay.

On Friday and Saturday the competition resembled those held for skaters as
the pilots each performed two programs, one of their own, and another
assigned to them by the jury, thus putting their technical prowess to the
test. Under their glides, those athletes performed a festival of wing-overs,
loopings and even the SAT. The flights were then evaluated by the
difficulty, the quality of the execution and the respect of the program,
such as by the synchronization of both pilots. As a matter of fact, Red Bull
Vertigo had been worldwide the first synchro aerobatic contest and its
success lead to the creation of many other competitions on the same model.

The Expression Session was held on Sunday, a true aerial ballet in which the
pilots pulled out all their tricks in self-composed flight programs which
are primarily evaluated for the choreography. Wingovers followed spins,
partial asymmetric closers and full stalls, the "tumbling" (a forward
looping with the paraglider) and the "dot on the I", landing on the 8 x 4
meter raft near the lake shore. In the case of a wet landing Lake Leman
served not only to cool off the pilots but also provided a natural safety
net for the aerial acrobats.

The delta pilots did more than merely stand watching and demonstrated
spectacular configurations over the Ouchettaz Quay with flight speeds
clocking in up to 130 km/h, and 70 km/h landing speeds on the small raft.

The old days of cozy hanging around are gone for the acrobatic flyers. The
third dimension is the secret of this sport, the union of acrobatics,
technique and esthetic is what it is all about - a ballet in the sky that
combines elegance and virtuosity with adrenaline. To be able to do
aeroacrobatics the pilot must be extremely experienced to meet the demands
on body and mind.


Final ranking Paragliders Red Bull Vertigo 2002

Ranking Team Total
1 RODRIGUEZ Raul (Sp) - 'RODRIGUEZ Felix (Sp) 1041.75
2 LLORENS Horacio (Sp) - PITOCCO Herman Javier (Ar) 936
3 NEF Olivier (CH) - THURNHEER Claude (CH) 897.5
4 ELLER Dominic (NZ) - 'HODEK Stefan (D) 867
5 CERUTTI Hervé (CH) - ARRUFAT David (CH) 815.5
6 SANTACROCE Chris (USA) - LAWRENCE Othar (USA) 783.5
7 BOURQUIN Sebastien (CH) - LACHAT Patrick (CH) 773.75
8 NEUENSCHWANDER Peter (CH) - MAURER Chrigel (CH) 767
9 CORDIDO Heminio (VE) - JARABA Pablo (AR) 725.25
10 GEEBELEN Pascal (CH) - CHOLLET Vincent (CH) 716.25

Final ranking Delta - Red Bull Vertigo 2002

Ranking Pilot Middle
1 BIRCHER Freddy (CH) 151.05
2 VON HOLZEN Martin (CH) 147.95
3 TATTI Nicolas (CH) 133.95
4 ANDEREGG Ruben (CH) 133.7
5 KOLLER Thomas (CH) 124.25
6 IEMMA Andrea (I) 97.7

More info on www.redbull-vertigo.com

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AcroVertigo Vol Libre
Case Postale 10
CH-1844 VILLENEUVE
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