posted Sep 15th, 2012 - Thunder and NMP-PCH Hayabusa both had well defined goals for the ESL Championship 2012. Thunder was aiming at the 22-average level, while Hayabusa wanted to get beyond the 26.1 average that the Belgian team has now posted two times this year.

Both teams have to wait for the next opportunity, as the scores were below the goals after ten rounds in Moorsele. The NSL News reported earlier that Hayabusa had to give alternate Jeroen "Bob" Nollet his first serious meet opportunity since Tail Roy Janssen fell sick right before the start of the competition.

It was obvious then that Hayabusa would not be able to get anywhere close to the 26.1 average level, while it was still impressive to see a 21.3 average with the young alternate. Thunder and Hayabusa actually broke their tie after ten rounds with a jump-off (B,L,G,22) that Hayabusa won with a 28-pointer. Thunder scored 26 points.

Paraclete XP 2012		Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Rd. 5	Rd. 6	Rd. 7	Rd. 8	Rd. 9	Rd. 10	Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class	Q,8,H,22	16,19,13	10,14,2	E,C,20,K	5,M,9	A,6,F,17	D,21,N,B	P,O,G,J,1	18,4,7	12,15,3	Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	23	21	20	33	34(-2)	29	30(-2)	30	20(-3)	21	261	26.1

The 26.1 average at the Paraclete XP Outdoor Championship 2012 was Hayabusa's new team record average in the team's 10th year of 4way competition and came after a great battle with Arizona Airspeed for the 1st place, and also after a fight with the French national team Aerodyne Aerokart in 3rd place.

NMP-PCH Hayabusa posted exactly the same final number once again six months later at the World Cup 2012. Both scoreboards and the according videos now allow the audience to compare Hayabusa's sequences and the performance at both meets.

The World Cup 2012 did not bring any pressure for the top contender, as both main opponents, which are still the same as in March, were not present in Prostejov. The team members mentioned in the previously featured NSL Talk after the conclusion of the World Cup that the lack of pressure makes it difficult to get to the peak performance level.

World Cup 2012

Rd. 1

Rd. 2

Rd. 3

Rd. 4

Rd. 5

Rd. 6

Rd. 7

Rd. 8

Rd. 9

Rd. 10

Total

Avg

Rank

AAA Class

1,19,2

14,18,15

N,16,20

E,6,J,A

C,K,9,13

F,8,11

Q,22,L,21

B,17,H,P

12,D,0,4

G,10,7

Total

Avg

1

NMP-PCH Hayabusa

21

19(-1)

22(-2)

33(-1)

31

22(-2)

23

40

24

26

261

26.1

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Roy Janssen reported from Moorsele that he was unhappy that he could not compete at the ESL Championship: "I love competing and we wanted to attack our own 26.1 record average. With the draw we would have had a fair shot for sure."

Hayabusa's next opportunity will be when it matters the most: the Mondial 2012 in Dubai. There is a very good chance that the 26.1 average will fall then, as both main opponents from the USA and France will offer all the pressure any team can currently ask for. It seems that any competition draw can currently produce meet averages for the top teams that were only possible with Super Sequences in the past.

Hayabusa travels to Spain next week for the next training camp in Empuriabrava. Three more camps are scheduled before the trip to Dubai and the World Meet, two in Spain and the last one in DeLand.