The Audi Grand Prix, held last weekend on Lake Balaton in Hungary, was an equal challenge to both competitors and race officials as the weather stretched all to the extremes.
Friday was sunny and unexpectedly warm, but with no wind. The wind was strong enough, however for the race committee to start the first race on time. Unfortunately, when the first boat approached the halfway mark of the course, the wind died completely, causing the race to be abandoned.
Since there was a slight chance the wind may come back, the Race Committee signalled a postponent afloat. By three in the afternoon it became clear that sailing was not on the agenda, and with a promising forecast for the following two days, the fleet headed for shore.
On saturday morning the weather was promising. There was a nice wind from north, north-west and on the way to the course it started to rain quite hard, continuing all day. The temperature dropped by 10 Celcius, agreeing with the forecast. It was quite hard for the competitors and for the Organisers. The wind - usual for Lake Balaton - kept on shifting all the time, so it was a tactical test for everyone.
In the second race the wind shifted so hard, it became necessary to modify the course by almost 30 degrees to the left. At the end of this difficult day, everyone was happy it was over.
On sunday the weather was much better, there was a faint sunshine, a good wind from the north, and although it was quite cold, the wind never dropped below 5 m/s, the strongest gusts reached 11 - 12 m/s.
Wind shifts were not nearly as strong as the previous day and the first race started on schedule, so there was a hope that a second race could be started within time limit.
The fleet finished race one of the day short after 11 a.m. and the second race of the day started within 20 minutes of the final time limit. At this time, second and third places were an open question. First place was almost sure. György WOSSALA had a big mathematical chance for second place, but even early in the race Karl AUTERIED got the lead and never let it go from his hands. The final results are seen by following the link below.