World Ice-Blokart Championships took place in beautiful area protected by UNESCO on Curonian lagoon ice.

Though the ice had received a lot of snow we were able to organize clean track for the races thanks to Neringa municipality by cleaning the area with 7 ton tractor. As the jury referee, president of Lithuanian DN association Vadimas Grigonis recalled it was the first man-made icesailing track for championships in Baltic countries and maybe even in the World.

Friday the training session day had not too strong winds, but lighter pilots enjoyed sailing around the track.

Saturday was the no-wind day with loads of fun-activities on the ice: ice-hockey, boiling water with the russian “samovar” for tea, chating and waiting for the wind. One time lightweights started to move around, but the puff died and this was the end of the day on the ice. Blokart party continued the day with hot meals and local drinks and lots of chat and laugh.

Finally the long waited wind arrived (4 m/s S) on Sunday morning and has increased all day through.

All weight categories completed 5 races with the last racing heavyweights and one ton’ers at joyfull 10 m/s S wind.

After intense racing the best pilots at each category were standing at the podium their trophies in the hands and smiling:

Lightweight category:

1. Kęstutis Berezinas (LTU)   7 pts
2. Alexander Bruhn (DE)   7 pts
3. Gražvydas Pupkus (LTU)   10 pts

Middleweight category:

1. Mikhel Tigas (EST)   4 pts
2. Artūras Bugailiškis (LTU)   9 pts
3. Antantas Golubovskis (LTU)   11 pts

Heavyweight category:

1. Aurimas Eidukas (LTU)   0 pts
2. Marius Ambrulaitis (LTU)   9 pts
3. Eric Wulff (DK)   10 pts

One Ton category:

1. Ilgaudas Šeputa (LTU)   2 pts
2. Raul Nappa (EST)   9 pts
3. Orm Valtson (EST)   11 pts

Full report download PDF

Detailed results: download PDF

Official photo gallery of qhoto.net photographers will be available soon at http://www.qhoto.net/blokart/

For those who ordered 2 Photo CD’s (1 CD of personal photos in sailing action and 1 CD of common photos, full resolution) will be sent at their mailing address. There is possibility to order you photo CD set if You haven’t done it yet, until Feb 31st, 2010. E-mail us.

Snow-ploughing has taken full speed for the World Ice-Blokart Champs 2010. The work is going well, ice doesn’t give a sound while 7 ton John deer tractor rolls over the 63 cm thick ice. Snow piles of 1-1,5 m. grow on the  sides of the track. About 60 per cent of all job has been done today, another part will be finished tommorow. See some photos from the site.

Total 54 pilots from 10 countries: 6 british, 1 danish, 3 dutch, 4 estonians, 4 french, 2 germans, 2 latvians, 29 lithuanians, 1 russian and 2 spanish pilots.

Around zero tėmperatures are forecasted for this weekend when World Ice-Blokart Champs 2010 is going to take place. Some rain may also come. Winds will blow from the East on saturday and then will switch to the West and should peak at 8 m/s.

Download Newsletter No. 2: download PDF

Official “after-race sauna” is sponsored by VsI Irklakojis and be present near the ice:

Lithuanian Blokart Team made snow ploughing tests on Curonian lagoon ice which is by now covered by 15-17 cm of snow which is the best situation in all Eastern Europe. Tests were challenging as smaller tractors couldn’t brake hard packed snow which has formed in some areas. But after trying out 7 ton John Deer tractor things went smoother and test area was prepaired.

Though it became clear that initial racing area of 10 hectares couldn’t be reached as it would be just too expensive.

After discussions with race director and jury another race area model was selected. Let’s hope that we will be able to implement it as weather conditions remain challenging – more snow is previewed for today and saturday.

Cyan: 17th-18th Feb prepaired area
Blue: 19th Feb widened area according to forcasted wind direction.

Because of too much snow (25+ cm) on the Rekyva lake the World Ice-Blokart Championships 2010 is transferred to Nida on the Curonian lagoon which has ice thickness of approx. 60 cm and approx. 10 cm of snow. Neringa city municipality and UAB “Neringos komunalininkas” sponsors a snow-plough service to clean race area if needed.

Download Newsletter No.1
Download Ice-Blokart sailing rules
More about Curonian Spit (on UNESCO World Heritage list)