posted Apr 7th, 2011 - The Top 5 teams were untouched by the red CamScore markers on the scoresheets for Round 1. This changed in Round 2 when NMP-PCH Hayabusa (-1) and Arizona Airspeed (-2) suffered their first point deductions. Both had completed 26 points in working time, but Hayabusa shared the highscore for the round with Aerodyne Aerokart Maubeuge. The rankings after Round 2 was the only time when the French national team was in 2nd place at the World Challenge 2011.

SportsLotto, the promising new Russian lineup, lost another important point in the race for the 5th place with SDC Rhythm XP. The Russian team ended up two points behind Rhythm after ten rounds and had already lost three points after Round 2.

Rhythm would collect a total of only three point deductions, while SportsLotto gave up seven points. However, the US team was the only one in reach for the Russians looking up the leaderboard. XL was too far away for both teams.

World Challenge 2011		Round1	Round2	Round3	Round4	Round5	Round6	Round7	Round8	Round9	Round10	Total	Avg
R.	AAA Class	10,C,5	20,P,2	H,M,Q,K,A	L,J,16,12	E,7,15	O,11,22	14,B,17	6,13,9	4,3,21	1,G,8	Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	27	25(-1)	65	29	33	23	28	28	22	25	305	30.5
2	Arizona Airspeed	26	24(-2)	60	27	34	24	27	28	23	25	298	29.8
3	Aerodyne Aerokart Maubeuge	26	25	52	27	31	25	29	27	24	24	290	29.0
4	XL	25	24	58	24	32	24	26	25	21	23	282	28.2
5	SDC Rhythm XP	22	23	56	23	27	20	24	21	19	22	257	25.7
6	SportsLotto	21(-2)	23(-1)	49	23	29	20	25	23	21	21	255	25.5
7	NPC Aerokart Maubeuge	24	20(-1)	41	22	26	21	26	22	21	20	243	24.3
8	Satori	19	19(-1)	57	21	25	19	24	21	17	20	242	24.2
9	Aerodyne DBDefenders	21(-1)	21	44	20	27	19	25	21	19	19	236	23.6
10	Thunder	13(-4)	20(-1)	41	23	27	20	23	21	19	17	224	22.4

Rhythm finished in 10th place (25.3) at the World Challenge 2010 and 5th (25.7) this year. Last year's competition draw was probably slightly faster, as the meet averages of the teams show. It is very difficult to compare though since only four of 40 AAA Class teams came back with exactly the same lineups.

SDC Rhythm XP was the only Top 10 team with the same lineup as in 2010. Norway's female lineup Polaris was the next one and scored slightly lower (19.6 - 19.2) this year compared to the World Challenge 2010. Atmosfera G4 from Portugal showed the most significant improvement (17.8 - 18.8) with the same lineup. The Italian team with Tunnel Alien Igor Galvan, Area 51, increased the same lineup's average from 16.2 in 2010 to 17.0 last weekend.

The teams with the same lineups have naturally better chances to increase the meet averages. This makes it even more difficult to compare the competition draws and results.

However, the hard numbers provide some hard facts. Airspeed's new lineup scored higher this year (29.8 - 29.6) compared to 2010. The new French lineup (29.0 - 30.5) had the opposite results. Hayabusa copied the French 30.5 average of 2010 last weekend after the 30.1 in 2010. XL went from 30.4 in 2010 to 28.2 in 2011.

The NSL News mentioned earlier that it might have been easier to make the Top 10 this year, as two top teams of 2010 did not travel to Bedford this year. However, SDC Rhythm XP was still the most improved Top 10 team moving up from 10th to 5th place.

Satori, Aerodyne Deep Blue Defenders and the French national B-Team NPC Aerokart Maubeuge were the Rhythm victims this year. Only the Top 4 are now between the young US team and the unlimited 4-way skies. Rhythm keeps moving up, step by step...