posted Jun 14th, 2019 - The recent changes in the lineups of the two best 4-way teams in the world, NMP PCH HayaBusa and Arizona Airspeed, will be a returning topic for a while.

They have a special relationship with each other. David Grauwels, who will step back after the FAI Outdoor World Meet 2020, was first in wishing Airspeed good luck for the near future after the recent announcement that Ari Perelman has left the team.

The Grauwels brothers David and Andy, original HayaBusa members, started chasing Airspeed once the Belgian team was founded in 2002. None of the current Airspeed members were in the lineups of the early years in this special team relationship.

France was still a part of the 4-way battle for the top spot in the world until 2010, when Mathieu and Guillaume Bernier, Julien Degen, Jeremie Rollett, won the gold medals at the FAI World Meet 2010 in Menzelinsk, Russia. NMP PCH HayaBusa had only won bronze medals once in 2008, in their pursuit of the top spot in the world, and they left Menzelinsk in 2010 without any medals. Russia's Sky Panthers took the 3rd place on their home turf.

---

HayaBusa and Airspeed lineups between 2011 and 2019

---

---

Menzelinsk 2010 was still the end of French 4-way teams in gold or silver medal positions at world meets, and HayaBusa's time had come. The lineup still included three original team members (David and Andy Grauwels, Roy Janssen), and Dennis Praet took the point slot in 2011.

The new 2011 lineup staid together for four years, and result was the first 4-way gold medal for Belgium in 2014. Roy Janssen left after Prostejov 2014, and Jeroen "Bob" Nollet took his tail slot. The new lineup is now in its 5th year together. Only the camera slot changed, from Danny Jacobs to Luc van Britsom.

In the same time period since 2011, Airspeed's lineups have changed five times. Two years was the longest time that the same lineup trained and competed together. Only Airspeed videographer Justin Price staid with the team for four years (2013 - 2016).

It seemed like a 2-year commitment was enough to win the world championship, as the 2011 lineup (Niklas Hemlin, Josh Hall, Thomas Hughes, Mark Kirkby, with Bill Schmitz on camera) won the gold medals over HayaBusa in Dubai 2012. However, it was the last Airspeed victory, and the Belgians have taken and defended the top spot in the world ever since.

---

FAI Outdoor World Meet 2012			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		5,12,E	6,D,B,K	O,8,7	N,13,18	10,21,M	19,H,11	C,G,1,A	20,9,15	16,F,P,Q	2,J,4	Total	Avg
1	Arizona Airspeed	US	27	34	27	22	23	23	32	25	40	26	279	27.9
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	25	34	27	21	23	24	32	27	40	25	278	27.8
3	Aerodyne Aerokart	FR	26	30	27	21	23	25	29	23	37	24	265	26.5

---

It was close in Dubai 2012, where Arizona Airspeed won by one single point in the last round. NMP PCH HayaBusa was already close with their own new lineup. Both teams came to Dubai after two years with the same team. The 27.9 winning average is still the highest outdoor number in 4-way history.

HayaBusa's 2018 lineup with new tail Jeroen Nollet tied the Airspeed 2012 number last year in Australia, and the first 28+ average is on the list of HayaBusa goals for the last two years with inside center David Grauwels and the same lineup.

Airspeed on the other side almost made the 2-year argument again in Australia. Niklas Hemlin, Thiago Gomes and Mikhail Markine spent only two years together with Ari Perelman, and they ended up only two points behind the gold medal position, with the third-highest outdoor average in history.

At the moment, HayaBusa's consistency is still winning over Airspeed's recovery skills. However, this time, Airspeed has only a very short world meet year ahead, and only after getting through the 2019 season successfully with Matt Davidson...