posted Apr 7th, 2018 - The World Challenge 2018 is getting close to completion on Saturday afternoon. The NSL News has been supporting the live coverage provided by the event host at Twinwoods Adventure, and there is a lot of footage of interviews and roaming on World Challenge TV.

Most of the teams in Bedford will probably post new team record averages, as a few faster rounds (4 - 5 - 7) offered scoring opportunities. There was no real Super Sequence in the 10-round draw; however, the sequence of Round 5 put three random formations behind Block 9, which is the fastest block in the current dive pool.

Living up to the potential of the sequence, Round 5 brought a lot of drama to the top level of the competition. NMP PCH HayaBusa, Weembi Mix and Arizona Airspeed knew, together with all other teams, competitors and the audience that a new world record was in reach.

There was even solid evidence that Airspeed's 59-pointer at the FAI Indoor World Meet 2017 might not survive Round 5 of the World Challenge, as the sequence was almost identical. Airspeed had posted the 59-pointer in Montreal for a similar sequence with Block 9 and three random formations (F,O,9,E).

World Challenge 2018			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		10,H,F,13	20,6,22	12,1,11	4,M,G,J	9,B,P,A	N,C,8,3	K,7,L,D	18,19,14	5,Q,21	15,16,O	E,17,2	Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	31	25	25	38	62	32	47	-	-	-	-	260	37.1
2	Weembi Mix MF	FR	29	25	24	40	59(-2)	33	45	-	-	-	-	255	36.4
3	Arizona Airspeed	US	29	24	23	35	59	26	43	-	-	-	-	239	34.1

Only Arizona Airspeed and Black Cat had the world record opportunity in Montreal, as the sequence was drawn for Round 11, the extra round in case of a tie in the medal positions. NMP PCH HayaBusa and Weembi High Rollers were settled in 1st and 2nd place and did not need the extra round to break a tie. They had to watch Airspeed and Black Cat perform the world record sequence without challenging it by themselves.

This was not the case at the World Challenge where all teams had the opportunity to boost their meet average with the same fast sequence in Round 5. HayaBusa was back with the same lineup as in Montreal, and they happily used the rare opportunity for a world record performance.

The 62-pointer is only an unofficial world record, as the World Challenge is not sanctioned by FAI/IPC. In fact, the new highscore is not even an unofficial world record, as the highest score for a single round was posted by Perris Fury at the World Challenge 2010, the 66-pointer in Round 2 (J,M,E,D,L).

Airspeed tied their own world record 59-pointer of October 2017 yesterday in Round 5. In fact, the 59-pointer in Montreal was actually 62 points in working time before the three point deductions. This time, it was not enough, as the Belgian indoor and outdoor world champions scored the same 62 points without any infringements.

Weembi Mix did not get away without point deductions in the world record round and ended up with 59 points after two infringements. However, the 61 points would still not be enough to outscore NMP PCH HayaBusa.

All four Weembi Mix members were in Montreal with their own teams when Airspeed posted the 59-pointer world record, together with HayaBusa, and none of them performed the same sequence. The new opportunity in Bedford found the two Aerodyne Weembi Girls and the two Weembi High Rollers in the same Weembi Mix lineup. Together they finished with 61 points in working time and a 59-pointer on the leaderboard.

Weembi Mix was not happy with the two point deductions, which added even more drama to the world record round. They asked host Paul Mayer and the judges to re-evaluate the performance, which is a legal option according to the World Challenge rules. However, the score was still the same on Sunday morning, and HayaBusa owns the new unofficial world record for a single round.

It will most likely not be the end of the world records in Bedford. NMP PCH HayaBusa and Weembi Mix both are on track to improve the 33.2 average that the Belgians posted at the Wind Games 2018...