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‘It was a tough week’ – Durrant wins SRS Krushevo

2 September, 2024, by Cross Country | Main photo: Hadi Khebre

The Australian former fighter pilot Christiaan ‘Serge’ Durrant has won the overall SRS in Krushevo North Macedonia, which ended on Friday after five tasks. The win now puts him in the lead in the season rankings with the final competition in France still to come.

“It was a tough week with a number of PWC pilots in the mix – including Pal [Takats],” Serge said. The Hungarian pilot has been Serge’s coach and mentor the past year and finished eighth overall, flying an Ozone Rush, an EN B.

“Pal flew incredibly well but my Photon/Submarine configuration is just awesome,” Serge added. “A couple of other highlights why it was so brutal – I had a fear of the soft wing which had to be overcome. Leeside thermalling in the main spine of the Alps really scared me two weeks ago but I was able to use the technique safely in Krushevo to achieve a task win.”

Overall podium at the SRS Krushevo in North Macedonia, August 2024. Photo: SRS

The Romanian pilot Tudor Dorobantu came second, while Britain’s Matias Nombarasco came third.

The women's podium at the SRS Krushevo, North Macedonia, August 2024. Photo: SRS

In the women, Magdalena Janaway from the UK took the win, coming sixth overall, Chile’s Lene Spaarwat came second and China’s Chenrui Lei took third.

There were five tasks overall ranging from 51.2km to 71.9km. Both tasks on Day 1 and Day 5 had to be stopped early due to thunderstorms. In total 96 pilots took part, including Claudia Gomez Palacios and Miguel Gutierrez, the faces behind Mexico’s famous Alas del Hombre.

Situated at an altitude of 1,350m, Krushevo is the highest town in the Balkans, 159km from the capital Skopje. It’s a hidden gem for pilots and has hosted numerous competitions.

The Sports-Class Racing Series is a series of international high-level FAI Cat 2 competitions aimed at experienced EN B and EN C pilots who want to compete without needing to fly an EN D or CCC wing. The next fixture is the SRS Gin Edition in St Andre 10-15 September.