posted Dec 13th, 2016 - The Sun Path Products NSL News reported on November 26th that the Thunder ISR 4-way project comes to an end at the end of the 2016 season and posted the farewell message before the team's last competition, the ISR Grand Prix 2016.

The story on November 28th followed up on the sad news and included the last competition rounds that Thunder performed at the indoor meet in Roosendaal.

Thunder won the 8-round competition with the highest meet average in team history (29.3) and with exactly the same lineup (Wesley Claessens, Paul Hofstee, Sven Ibens, Jacco van Eerden) that had started the team project with a 19.4 average at the ESL Championship 2009. The perfect finish of a great team career in Roosendaal lifted Thunder ISR to the 6th place of the Team Indoor World Rankings 2016, well within the Top 10 in the world.

Thunder started under 4XTT in 2009 and kept

Rank	Team	Meets	Average
1	NMP PCH HayaBusa	29.2 - 32.0 - 30.6	30.6
2	Golden Knights Gold	28.2	28.2
3	France 4-way Open	27.6 - 27.9	27.8
4	Golden Knights	27.6	27.6
5	Weembi Lille	25.6 - 26.6 - 25.3 - 30.2	27.5
6	Thunder ISR	24.7 - 26.4 - 29.3	26.8
6	SDC Rhythm XP	26.8 - 26.8	26.8
8	Black Cat	25.5 - 27.5	26.5
9	Perris Fury	26.3	26.3
10	France Women	22.2 - 28.6 - 27.9	26.2
10	Qatar Tigers	24.4 - 27.5 - 26.6	26.2

the first team name at the Valentine's Meet 2010, as well. The original lineup then competed under Thunder for the first time at the ISR Grand Prix 2010 in Roosendaal, the same place where the team name appeared on a leaderboard for the last time in November this year.

Inside Center Sven Ibens was one of the original HayaBusa members, and he has still been the alternate for the 4-way world champions until 2016. He will also continue with the new HayaBusa 8-way project.

Sven Ibens could not continue with HayaBusa when the Belgian national team decided to pursue the ultimate goal in Formation Skydiving competition and try to become 4-way world champions.

Roy Janssen, Andy and David Grauwels joined the Belgian military services at the end of the 2006 season, and they had to replace Sven Ibens who continued as a recreational 4-way competitor.

Rank	Team	Meets	Average
1	NMP PCH HayaBusa	24.8 - 26.2	25.5
2	Arizona Airspeed	24.3 - 25.4 - 26.5	25.4
3	France 4-way Open	23.7 - 23.4 - 23.8	23.6
4	Black Cat	23.1 - 21.6	22.4
4	Golden Knights	22.4	22.4
6	Golden Knights Gold	22.3	22.3
7	France Women	22.1 - 22.6 - 21.7	22.1
7	Qatar Tigers	21.5 - 22.6	22.1
7	SDC Rhythm XP	20.4 - 23.8	22.1
10	Evolution	21.4	21.4
11	Thunder ISR	21.2	21.2

Sven Ibens was far from being done and eventually continued with Thunder when the opportunity came up in 2009.

Paul Hofstee was still competing for the Netherlands with Dynamic Fource and joined Thunder after the world meet in Menzelinsk 2010.

It did not take too long until Thunder had established themselves as the best unofficial amateur team in the world. Year after year Thunder managed to place in the Top 10 rankings of the world's best 4-way teams, including the full-time competitors.

Thunder was neither sanctioned by the national skydiving federations of the Netherlands and Belgium nor by FAI/IPC to compete as an eligible team at international meets, which made it more difficult to measure up directly with the best teams in the world.

However, Thunder still finished in 11th place after a 21.2 average at the Belgian Nationals this year. Thunder's best outdoor average was a 22.9 at the Tomscat Trophy 2014. The 2014 season was one of the busiest years for Thunder when the team attended five indoor and outdoor meets.

It turned out to be the best outdoor season for Thunder, as well, with a 6th place in the Team Outdoor World Rankings 2016.

This year's 6th place on the world's indoor leaderboard is the best finish in team history, as well, and it concludes one of the most interesting team stories in the competition world. The Sun Path Products NSL News mentioned earlier that this is still not the end of the story for the team members...