posted Apr 8th, 2007 - No jump-off in Bedford, sorry. However, it was a very dramatic finish at Bodyflight's World Challenge 2007. Team Fastrax had a flawless Round 9 and stole a point from Airspeed Odyssey, almost even two points. The 1-point difference (25 - 24) was the tie-breaker and a small Fastrax cushion for Round 10.

The three contenders for the 3rd place did not even get close to Airspeed and Fastrax with their 21-pointers. However, XL secured the 3rd place with the two 21-pointers in Rounds 8 and 9 after a bad start of the day.

The viewing area in the tunnel hangar was crowded for the showdown in Round 10. Airspeed Odyssey and Fastrax members knew that they both had good rounds. Both teams were confident that they had won the competition.

It is a fact that actually all five top contenders finished the World Challenge 2007 with two good last rounds. There was still a little difference between Odyssey and Fastrax that might have given the Arizona team the edge in Round 10. Odyssey came from behind and had nothing to lose.

Fastrax had never been in the position where the team was on the very top of the leaderboard and had to defend a lead going into the last round. Airspeed members Craig Girard and Mark Kirkby have already seen the top of the leaderboard from both sides. They showed at the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2007 how to defend a lead, and they knew from their incredible collection of competition experience when to attack and how.

Airspeed Odyssey performed in Round 10 as if there were £500,000 on the stake. Team Fastrax had a great round but didn't fight for the team life. The psychology of the situation before Round 10 was easier for Odyssey with nothing to lose: "make or break". It worked well for Odyssey, and the £5,000 made it even better.

It still turned out to be another great competition experience for both teams, as they both confirmed after the conclusion of the meet. The NSL News will follow up with the interviews later. The difference between the two teams is down to one single point after the 3-point difference at the Shamrock Showdown. The Malevsky Cup 2007 will be the next showdown.