posted Dec 15th, 2011 - The NSL-TV coverage of the top duel between Aerodyne Aerokart and NMP-PCH Hayabusa at the 3rd Dubai Championship 2011 continues with the videos of Round 5 and Round 6.

Those were the only two rounds where both teams tied each others' scores. They were also two of the three consecutive rounds where neither of the two top teams had a point deduction. There are several red dots on the score sheets in both rounds, however, a majority of three judges never materialized for a penalty..

3rd Dubai Championship 2011		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Round 8	Total	Avg
Rank	4way Open	L,C,P,20	K,M,6,15	G,19,H,11	2,10,E	13,9,5	O,7,3	B,21,16	4,1,22	Total	Avg
1	France Aerodyne Aerokart	33 (-1)	26 (-2)	26	20 (-1)	25	27	28	20	205	25.6
2	Belgium NMP-PCH Hayabusa	32 (-1)	23 (-1)	25 (-1)	22 (-1)	25	27	25	18 (-1)	197	24.6

Round 5 was one of the two 3-block sequences in the 8-round draw. It was the one where the top teams knew that it would not be too difficult to score higher than 20 points, as two fast blocks (5,9) offered the opportunity to make up for the slow Block 13 (Offset - Spinner). The real 3-block challenge would come in Round 8 (4,1,22) where only France managed to post a 20-pointer after a 1-point deduction.

However, even the sequence of Round 5 still had its challenges. The slow and new Block 13 came at the beginning of the sequence out the door, and especially Hayabusa's Point and Tail had to work hard on the hill. It was also a slot switcher with memory for both pieces, as Block 5 (Opal - Opal) mirror-images the sequence. The following sequence of Round 6 brought even more memory, this time only for the front pieces.

A third team managed to score higher than 20 points in Round 5. SDC Rhythm XP posted a clean 21-pointer. The other US team, Perris Fury, completed 21 points in time, as well, but lost two points in the judging room.

SDC Rhythm XP will make new headlines beginning tomorrow. The NSL News reported earlier that Rob Radez steps back, and the team is looking for a new Center Inside. The tryouts for the open slot begin tomorrow at the Paraclete XP windtunnel in Raeford. The NSL News was live on site when Samer Haija, Nick Grillet and Thiago Gomes tried out for the Tail slot two years ago. The coverage of tomorrow's event will be even more exciting since Rhythm has stepped up to a world class performance level in the past two years. There are more candidates now, and some of them with high profiles...