posted Oct 17th, 2018 - There is not much more to add to the 4-way Open Class showdown between NMP PCH HayaBusa and Arizona Airspeed at the FAI World Meet 2018. The competition videos are available for reviews of the 10-round thriller, and the NSL-TV camera captured as much as possible of the two top contenders live from the event site.

It was the second time that the winner of the Airspeed - HayaBusa duel finished with a 27.9 average, the highest one in the history of the sport. Airspeed won with the same number in 2012, HayaBusa this month in Australia. Both teams performed on a 28+ level and will most likely put it on the leaderboard next year.

Only point deductions for infringements kept them from posting 28+ averages at last week's world meet. HayaBusa lost a total of eleven points, Airspeed had eight point deductions, five of them in Round 1.

Both teams with different lineups performed already above the 28-average level at the FAI World Meet 2012, where the damage was three points for Airspeed and eight for HayaBusa. The world meet in Dubai was also the last time that Airspeed finished ahead of HayaBusa at any indoor or outdoor meet.

FAI World Meet 2018			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Combined - Top 10		21,L,B,G		22,18,17		19,7,O		J,16,12		10,A,D,15		Q,M,F,C,N		H,20,P,13		6,14,11		E,2,5		4,1,3		Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	32		21		27	-2	24		22	-3	62	-2	22	-2	20	-1	27	-1	22		279	27.9
2	Arizona Airspeed	US	26	-5	21		27	-1	24		24	-1	60	-1	26		22		27		20		277	27.7
3	Aerodyne Weembi Girls	FR	29	-1	20		24		22		25		56	-1	23		18	-2	22		18	-1	257	25.7
4	Aerodyne Realfly	FR	29	-1	19		24	-2	23		24		52	-3	20	-3	17	-3	24		19		251	25.1
5	Qatar Tigers	QA	24	-2	14	-1	24	-1	21		22		53	-4	21	-1	18		20		17		234	23.4
6	Echochamber	SE	25	-1	16		21	-1	17	-2	20	-1	48	-4	14	-3	18		21	-1	15	-1	215	21.5
7	Amnesya	IT	24	-2	14		20	-1	18		18	-1	48	-5	18		14	-2	21	-1	15		210	21.0
8	NFTO	UK	20	-3	15		22	-1	19		18		38	-2	18		17		19		16		202	20.2
9	Satori XL	UK	21		14	-1	21		19		19		37	-3	19		17		18	-1	16	-1	201	20.1
9	Airheads	CH	22	-3	14	-2	19	-2	17	-1	18		44		16		16	-2	18	-1	17		201	20.1

Arizona Airspeed vs. NMP PCH HayaBusa since 2008

Dennis Praet, David and Andy Grauwels together collected their third consecutive gold medals in 4-way Open, which is a unique achievement in the history of the sport. Jeroen Nollet, the newest HayaBusa member in the tail slot, won his second gold medal after replacing Roy Janssen in 2015.

The complete HayaBusa lineup tied the original Arizona Airspeed lineup and two different French national teams with two consecutive team gold medals. Another gold medal for the same HayaBusa lineup would make new history in Tanay 2020. Airspeed will try to stop the Belgians and get back to the 4-way top spot in the world.

The challenges of the 2018 season are not over yet for the old and new 4-way world champions. There is another team that has been trying to outscore NMP PCH HayaBusa since 2015, and the next attempt is coming up very soon.

The FAI Indoor World Cup 2018 in Bahrain brings the Weembi indoor experts back into the picture.

Weembi vs. NMP PCH HayaBusa since 2015

It is the same Weembi lineup that battled with HayaBusa at the World Challenge 2018 and finished with the highest indoor average in history - behind HayaBusa (345 - 349). Arizona Airspeed was not even close (324) at that time.

Original HayaBusa member Roy Janssen, 4-way world champion of 2014, teamed up with French 4-way world champion Julien Degen in 2015 to form a team that could challenge the Belgians. The first Weembi lineup included two more French 4-way world champions of 2010, brothers Mathieu and Guillaume Bernier.

This Weembi lineup (High Rollers) eventually competed for France at the FAI Indoor World Meet 2017 and won the silver medals behind HayaBusa. The same duel took place a few months later in Bahrain with the same ending.

Roy Janssen and Julien Degen then came back with a new lineup at the World Challenge. Aerodyne Weembi Girls members Christine Malnis and Sophia Pecout replaced Mathieu and Guillaume Bernier when their team did not compete in Bedford.

The upcoming FAI Indoor World Cup in Bahrain brings back together both teams with the same lineups. Christine Malnis and Sophia Pecout are re-joining Roy Janssen and Julien Degen as new world champions in 4-way Women, who actually finished in 3rd place on the combined 4-way leaderboard, and they take on the 4-way Open Class world champions directly this time. All HayaBusa members and the two Aerodyne Weembi Girls have less than two weeks to switch back to indoor competition mode...