posted Mar 22nd, 2007 - The FSL Shamrock Showdown 2007 is over, the review is already in full swing, and the NSL News prepares for the next live event coverage. The World Challenge 2007 at the Bodyflight Bedford wind tunnel in Great Britain is listed as the next event on the NSL Schedule of Events. The NSL News will report live from the competition site.

The World Challenge 2007 will already be the third competition this year for Airspeed Odyssey, the defending champion of last year's competition in Bedford. Odyssey's team captain Craig Girard mentioned earlier that his team plans to compete more regularly this year.

So far, Airspeed Odyssey will have attended one meet per month: the Valentine's Meet in February, the Shamrock Showdown in March and the World Challenge in April. Competition practice obviously has a great value even for an experienced team that wants to become the next 4-way world champion.

The competition rhythm of one meet per month is identical with the schedule that most of the NSL affiliated leagues are offering in their regions. Each team has actually the opportunity to do what Airspeed Odyssey demonstrates this year. And the World Challenge 2007 is surely not the last competition for Odyssey in 2007.

The winner of the Valentine's Meet 2007 and the Shamrock Showdown 2007 seems to look for tough competition and serious opponents in its quest to get back to the very top of 4-way competition in the world. Odyssey has already defeated the new French national 4-way team, Perris Fury, Team Fastrax, the Golden Knights and DeLand Groove in direct competition.

Belgium's new Hayabusa Defence line-up and XL are next on the list of world-class teams that Airspeed Odyssey will take on, this time in the form of a wind tunnel competition. The Aerokart wind tunnel in Paris, France, also sends a team with top 4-way competitors and a lot of tunnel experience, "Aerokart Seloger.com".

The World Challenge 2007 is still a very realistic 4-way competition. The 16-footer in Bedford is one of the few wind tunnels in the world that allows the execution of the complete FAI dive pool, including all 22 Blocks and 16 Random Formations. The NSL News story on 6 March 2007 already provided more details of the wind tunnel.

Exit and subterminal part of a real competition jump are the only missing pieces in the Bodyflight Bedford tunnel. The start of the 35 seconds working time has its own competition rules: "The chronometer will start the moment the head and shoulders of any team member is through either flight chamber door."

This means that a new set of skills is important to score points at the World Challenge 2007. The teams have to enter the wind tunnel and build the first formation as quick as possible. From then on, the rest of the working time is like a competition jump in terminal speed.

Airspeed Odyssey is the defending champion and this year's top favorite. However, there will be serious competition for the Arizona team. 18 teams were registered on March 15, and the field includes Hayabusa Defence and XL.

The world-class team from Belgium is training full-time this year. The NSL News story on 5 March 2007 provided details of the new team plans. Hayabusa Defence is well trained in a 16-footer, as well, and the team already won the money for the 2nd place at the World Challenge 2006.

The team name "XL" promises world-class performance, as well. Sebastian XL, with Pete Allum, Thomas Hughes, John McIver and Steve Hamilton in the last line-up, was the British national 4-way team for several years and discontinued after the World Meet 2003 in France.

However, the team members did not retire from 4-way competition. Pete Allum won the bronze medals with Italy's national 4-way team Sinapsi PD at the World Meet 2006 in Germany (Archives > 2006 > Leagues > Special Events). John McIver and Steve Hamilton have both been working as 4-way coaches and instructors at Bodyflight Bedford and are most familiar with the tunnel air.

Thomas Hughes is obviously not available as a new Fastrax member. However, XL found a very adequate replacement for him. Pete Allum's Sinapsi PD teammate, Livio Piccolo, will fill the open slot. The XL line-up might be the most promising underdog to threaten Airspeed Odyssey at the World Challenge 2007.

The World Challenge 2007 is scheduled for April 7 - 8 and also includes a 2-way Freeflying competition. The NSL News will follow up soon with the introduction of other teams in the 4-way field.