posted Nov 26th, 2018 - The 8-round AAA Class competition at the ISR Grand Prix 2018 turned out slightly different than it was expected, according to the NSL Power Rankings.

HF eX3MO from Italy was not able to challenge home team ISR FireFlash seriously, while taking the silver medals easily. The Dutch substitute for the Belgian team, former Thunder ISR member Jacco van Eerden, filled the tail slot like he had never taken a break from top 4-way competition, and FireFlash finished very close to the team's best scoring level with the 26.8 average.

ISR FireFlash had posted a higher meet average (27.3) with the complete original lineup only once at the ISR Grand Prix 2017.

On the other side, HF eX3MO finished significantly behind the 27.7 average that the team had posted at the Italian Indoor Nationals 2018, and the 24.4 in Roosendaal was not close enough to threaten the home team. However, the Italian team showed the potential two times in the middle of the meet (Rounds 4 and 5) with a tie and a sole highscore.

ISR Grand Prix 2018			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		A,18,F,6	Q,N,11,12	17,10,5	J,B,L,2	O,3,16	D,21,C,G	9,H,K,14	7,E,22	Total	Avg
1	ISR FireFlash	BE	28	25	25	30	24	28	29	25	214	26.8
2	HF eX3MO	IT	22	19	24	30	25	27	27	21	195	24.4
3	HF Flying Circus	CZ	22	20	21	29	22	26	24	18	182	22.8
4	Out of the Blue Project 20+	NL	23	20	20	26	22	23	23	21	178	22.3
5	Jazz Republic	ZA	20	20	19	24	19	23	24	20	169	21.1
6	JETMAX	BE	22	17	16	24	19	20	19	21	158	19.8
7	Rotterdam Dan!!	NL	18	16	18	22	15	18	20	17	144	18.0
8	Crash Test Dummies	BE	20	16	15	21	17	18	18	15	140	17.5
9	Trance-Ition	NL	15	14	14	19	15	14	18	16	125	15.6
10	Falco 2.0	BE	14	14	13	14	15	17	19	13	119	14.9
11	4igami	NL	12	11	11	16	11	14	15	12	102	12.8
12	Blue Rebels	GR	13	12	9	14	13	14	12	12	99	12.4
13	Shinobi	NL	9	11	11	15	12	13	16	11	98	12.3

ISR FireFlash and HF eX3MO at the ISR Grand Prix 2018

The lack of suspense on the very top of the leaderboard was fully compensated for by the teams who battled for the bronze medals. However, it was not Jetmax this time, who challenged HF Flying Circus in their next team duel.

The second Belgian team in the Top 6 ended up behind Jazz Republic from South Africa, while the Czech team had to fend off Out of the Blue from the Netherlands, the Dutch national 4-way team.

Out of the Blue improved the 20.2 average of the FAI Indoor World Cup 2018 in October by more than two average points and finished only four points behind HF Flying Circus.

The Czech team was ready for the challenge though, whether it would come from Jetmax or any of the other contenders for the bronze medals. The team's previous record average of 22.2 at the World Challenge 2018 would not have been enough to take the bronze medals in Roosendaal.

HF Flying Circus had started the 2018/2019 indoor season in Bahrain with a 20.4 average, and the Dutch national team was already very close with only a 2-point difference.

ISR Grand Prix 2018			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		A,18,F,6	Q,N,11,12	17,10,5	J,B,L,2	O,3,16	D,21,C,G	9,H,K,14	7,E,22	Total	Avg
1	ISR FireFlash	BE	28	25	25	30	24	28	29	25	214	26.8
2	HF eX3MO	IT	22	19	24	30	25	27	27	21	195	24.4
3	HF Flying Circus	CZ	22	20	21	29	22	26	24	18	182	22.8
4	Out of the Blue Project 20+	NL	23	20	20	26	22	23	23	21	178	22.3
5	Jazz Republic	ZA	20	20	19	24	19	23	24	20	169	21.1
6	JETMAX	BE	22	17	16	24	19	20	19	21	158	19.8

HF Flying Circus and Out of the Blue at the ISR Grand Prix 2018

Out of the Blue followed up a month later at the ISR Grand Prix, while HF Flying Circus used the World Tunnel League opportunity for another competition experience before traveling to Roosendaal.

The 21.8 average on home turf at the Hurricane Factory was higher than the Bahrain average, even though it would still not be enough to win the bronze medals in Roosendaal. The young Czech team needed a new record number, and they lived up to the Dutch challenge with the 22.8 average last weekend.

The consistent progression at the start of the indoor winter season (20.4 - 21.8 - 22.8) is more than promising. HF Flying Circus is now dangerously close to the 23+ level and will probably show it at some point at the next indoor meets, which include the next FAI indoor world meet at Weembi Lille in April.

The Bad Boys, with Flying Circus tail Jakub Klapka's father Jan Klapka in the lineup, competed for the Czech Republic at the last world meet in Montreal. The 21.9 average was not enough for a Top 10 position. The 22.8 average of HF Flying Circus would have tied the Spanish team Papea in 9th place, and a 23+ average could place a Czech team in the Top 10 for the first time...