posted Jun 11th, 2015 - The Sun Path Products NSL News story on February 12th was a preview of the World Challenge 2015 and included the coverage of a very special anniversary, which eventually materialized at the event.

It was not only the 10-year anniversary of the World Challenge that was celebrated this year. The same story explained that there were also two competitors who have attended each World Challenge since the inaugural event in 2006, NMP-PCH Hayabusa members David and Andy Grauwels.

Reigning Hayabusa world champion Roy Janssen, who is also one of the original team members, did not compete this year and could not join the Grauwels brothers for their special anniversary celebration. He left the team after the FAI World Championship of Formation Skydiving 2014, and Jeroen "Bob" Nollet is the new Hayabusa Teil.

World Challenge 2007			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		19,O,5	A,G,K,P,M	13,9,N	Q,10,F,B	1,J,20	8,16,D	11,14,7	L,2,21	4,C,12	H,15,3	Total	Avg
1	USA Airspeed Odyssey		26	42	31	31	24	26	24	24	24	28	280	28.0
2	USA Fastrax		26	43	32	30	24	26	23	24	25	26	279	27.9
3	UK XL		27	44	30	32	24	21	17	21	21	24	261	26.1
4	HayaBusa Defence		23	41	29	27	21	20	21	20	21	24	247	24.7

The 10-year story of Hayabusa at the World Challenge alone is amazing and reflects on the team career of the Belgian 4-way world champions. The Sun Path Products NSL News has followed Hayabusa since the team was formed in 2003, and the name appeared in 905 stories since the first SKYLEAGUE.COM update on March 22nd, 2004. Only Airspeed was mentioned more often, with a total of 1568 stories.

David and Andy Grauwels came to Bedford in 2006 as a family front piece, Outside Center David and Point Andy Grauwels. Original member Roy Janssen started in the Tail slot and staid there until he won the gold medal last year in Prostejov, resembling Airspeed Tail Mark Kirkby's career story. Thunder ISR member Sven Ibens was Hayabusa's original Inside Center and attended the first World Challenge in 2006. He came back for the 10-year anniversary with Thunder ISR this year.

Hayabusa started in 2nd place at the World Challenge 2006, 27 points behind Arizona Airspeed's Odyssey lineup (Craig Girard, Eliana Rodriguez, Andy Delk, Brian Johnson). The new Hayabusa lineup of 2010 (David and Andy Grauwels, Roy Janssen, Waedong So) cut the distance to the winner (France) to 4 points exactly at half time of the World Challenge decade in 2010.

World Challenge 2010			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		5,4,12	J,M,E,D,L	20,17,8	15,18,7	22,A,F,K	21,C,G,6	9,19,16	B,13,14	H,P,O,3	N,2,10	Total	Avg
1	France Aerodyne Aerokart		22	63	23	26	31	28	29	28	32	23	305	30.5
2	XL		21	57	24	25	35	29	28	25	37	23	304	30.4
3	Belgium NMP-PCH Hayabusa		22	57	23	25	36	28	28	26	34	22	301	30.1

The front piece had separated by then, and David Grauwels replaced Luc Verstrepen in the Inside Center slot. Brother Andy Grauwels moved to Outside Center when Weadong So took the Point slot.

The second half of the World Challenge decade began with the first victory for NMP-PCH Hayabusa over Arizona Airspeed's new lineup at the 2011 event. Dennis Praet was now Andy Grauwels' front piece partner, and the youngest Hayabusa member knows nothing else but winning in Bedford ever since he joined the team.

It would still take four more years until the Belgians would also win the outdoor world title after the heart-breaking penalty for the incomplete Side Body Donut of Block 2 in the last second of Round 10 at the Mondial Dubai 2012.

World Challenge 2015			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		15,K,E,F	11,22,A	16,H,M,19	3,10,D	17,18,P	4,12,O	5,N,L,G	14,B,C,20	2,1,21	J,Q,6,13	Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	40	24	32	25	29	26	38	30	24	33	301	30.1
2	SDC Rhythm XP	US	36	24	28	22	28	23	34	26	23	29	273	27.3

Hayabusa increased the distance to the team in 2nd place year by year at the World Challenge, and Airspeed has not even come back to Bedford again after the 3rd place in 2012, where Hayabusa won by 13 points over France.

The 28 points over XL and France at the World Challenge 2014 was the largest winning margin in the history of the event, while this year's 30.1 average was Hayabusa's 4th 30+ average since 2010 - without a Super Sequence.

The distance to the team in 2nd place was exactly the same as in 2014 - 28 points.

There was one "minor detail" though: Hayabusa has a new team member with Jeroen "Bob" Nollet, who replaced Roy Janssen in the Tail slot after the world meet last year.

The new lineup kept the same distance to win again and scored an average-point higher (30.1 - 29.1) than last year.

David and Andy Grauwels are now almost exactly as far ahead of the rest of the field as they were behind with their original lineup in 2006 (28 - 27). It's been an impressive Hayabusa decade at the World Challenge.