These two often flew together as well as "against" each other in the three competitions this season in Oz. The flights from the NSW State Titles give us an opportunity to assess how well they did. All the flights are available here.

Day One.

Jonny and Blay fly together leaving the start circle at the same time. After the first turnpoint on this FAI triangle task they separate slightly at the small range between the Wenart and Carrlt turnpoints. Jonny gets higher first and flies over Blay, but Blay is in a very strong thermal and quickly gets higher than the altitude that Jonny had when he passed over him.

Blay is red and Jonny light blue.

This extra altitude, plus additional lift on the way to the second turnpoint, gives him an extra two thousand feet over Jonny when he gets close to the turnpoint and Jonny comes in under him. This is enough to get him ahead on the third leg and into goal six minutes faster.

Day Two.

Jonny jumps out ahead of Blay at the start of the second start clock, but Blay finds a much better thermal southwest of Barraba and quickly gets past him. Jonny comes in under him by 2,000' at Cobbadah and that spells the difference. The lift is often weak and both pilots have to stay in weak lift to be able to keep going.

Blay continues his 2000' advantage working first strong then mostly weak lift. He makes goal, the only pilot to do so. Jonny lands a little bit short. Blay is up 250 points after two days.

Day Three.

Blay is fifth for the day (I'm third) and Jonny is twelfth. Blay is racing faster and getting higher than Jonny right from the start. Jonny gets low and stuck at the turnpoint at Boggabri and Blay gets stuck at the little hill south of Boggabri. Getting stuck will cost both of them time and both will be slow on the second leg. Blay will gain 100 points on Jonny and be 350 points ahead after three days.

Day Four.

I'll spend the day out in front taking the first start time. Blay and Jonny will start fifteen minutes later. Blay will again get out in front of Jonny and stay there gliding faster than Jonny. The second leg will be over shaded ground and into a head wind. Blay will land just a few hundred meters from goal as Ben Dunn is the only one to make it to goal. Jonny will land 4 km behind Blay losing thirty points on the day to him.

Day Five.

Again Jonny and Blay start off together with Blay a few hundred feet higher and just ahead of Jonny. Blay is always willing to go out in front. They fly together and enter a thermal just south of Barraba. Blay gets twice the climb rate of Jonny and when they leave the thermal Blay has 700' on Jonny.

By the time they leave the next thermal by Barraba, Blay has 1,300' on Jonny. Blay's ground speed is 10 mph faster than Jonny on the next long glide and he gets 13.3 to 1 vs. Jonny at 16.2 to 1. Blay is out ahead.

Blay uses his lead and his extra height to break away from Jonny. He makes goal first to win the day, twelve minutes faster than Jonny, and now is 500 points up on Jonny.

Day Six.

Blay starts earlier than Jonny at the second start time (I take the first and fly the course alone) while Jonny takes the third one. So they don't fly together. Blay flies a fast course making the far turn around point seven minutes faster than Jonny does starting later.

Blay runs into trouble on the way back by himself and lands short of goal. Jonny comes in first on this day much faster than anyone else. Blay's lead is trimmed back to 200 points.

Day Seven.

The task is to go out to the west and come back to Manilla then to Godfrey's. I get high and have a strong start 1000' over Blay to his north 5 km. Blay is 1000 feet over Jonny and they are both together without anyone else around south of the course line.

We all meet up just before the turn around point and climb up to 9,000' with Blay just a little higher. Blay and Jonny are together and at about the same altitude as I push out in front and find the next good thermal. We leave that thermal and I pull the gaggle toward the turnpoint at four corners. Jonny and Blay are at 9,800'. I'm at 9,500'.

I take the turnpoint above and in front of Blay and Jonny at 8,000'. They are together and just behind me. I head off to the northeast toward a cu, while they turn right and head down the course line. I turn and follow them. Blay is on Jonny's right, 100 feet below him and just ahead. I have dropped behind due to my desire to head northeast earlier.

I will get a 5:1 glide since the last thermal, gliding 12.7 km averaging 26 mph over the ground into a 12 mph head wind and then land. Blay will get a 5.2:1 glide for 13.7 km averaging 32 mph. Jonny will get a 6.5:1 glide over 15.5 km averaging 33 mph and finds a strong thermal.

Blay will drop a thousand feet on Jonny since the turnpoint (where he was even with him) in the next 7 km. Blay is just off Jonny's right side half a kilometer. Down 1,400' lower than Jonny Blay lands just before Jonny finds the thermal. Unable to catch them I land behind Blay.

Jonny will be second into goal and gain 450 points on Blay. He will be 200 points ahead of him going into the last day.

Day Eight.

The last day finds us with a short task downwind. Everyone  who takes the last start clock flies together so there is no chance for Blay to make up the 200 point deficit.

Blay glides fast and flies out in front. He is relatively fearless. He climbs well and often gets higher than Jonny. He made a crucial error in not going to the cu on the seventh day but going down the course line. He found a bad line of sink and lost over a thousand feet to Jonny that day, and Jonny got lucky finding a thermal as he got low also following Blay (but to his left).

Blay was out flying Jonny until he made an error. Often it only takes one and he made two of them. He didn't slow down and cover Jonny after gaining a 500 point advantage, but went out on his own and fast on the sixth day. Covering Jonny would have made him the winner, but what is the fun in that?