Michael Sigel wins PWC Panchgani

Michael Sigel has claimed victory in the opening PWC of the year, the penultimate of the 2025 season, with Manuel Laly and Mario Monteiro following in second and third place.

In the women’s ranking, Silvia Buzzi Ferraris dominated the field, followed by Jun Yomo and Olga Plotnikova. Afterwards Silvia posted: “Seven tasks for seven days. Very weird and peculiar place. I found it very safe despite very powerful thermals – I recommend it.”

“With seven fast and successful tasks, Panchgani delivered a complete and high-level World Cup, providing excellent racing conditions from start to finish,” say organisers. “It has been some time since a World Cup achieved a full set of tasks, and throughout the week, pilots were treated to fast racing, with every task exceeding 70 km.”

The final day delivered the best conditions of the competition. Light winds, strong thermals, and a high cloudbase created ideal racing conditions, allowing pilots to push at full speed across the course.

Although Michael Sigel had already secured the overall victory before the final task, he was still aiming for a task win to complete his performance. The day provided the perfect opportunity. With climbs reaching up to 9 m/s, conditions allowed for fast progress, but also required good timing.

At one point, the leading gaggle slowed down on course, opening the door for Michael to make his move. Taking advantage of the situation, he pushed ahead and maintained his lead all the way to goal, securing both the Task 7 win and the overall victory.

“This area is amazing, probably one of the best for competitions,” he shared mid-way through the competition. “So far all tasks have been amazing with climbs up to 9m/s.”

With two task wins on the third and sixth days Davide Sassudelli also had a great performance which his 17th place overall does not reflect. The X-Alps pilot had previously told us that he wanted to focus more on competitions this year.

Dominik Breitinger took the win on Task 1 with an impressive performance. Notably, it was on the eagerly anticipated prototype Gin Boomerang RFC (Ready for Certification).

With many pilots already qualified for the Superfinal in May, the event had some notable absences from the French ranks. Next up on the PWC calendar is Brazil, Governador Valadarès, from 19 to 26 April 2026, the final stop on the 2025 season before the Superfinal.

Results

Overall

1. Michael Sigel, SUI, Ozone Enzo / Exoceat, 5186.3
2. Manuel Laly, FRA, Ozone Enzo / Sub, 5111.6
3. Mario Monteiro, BRA, Ozone Enzo / Sub, 5088.7

Women
Silvia Buzzi Ferraris, ITA, Ozone Zeno 2 / Gin Genie Race 5, 4127
Jun Yomo, JPN, Ozone Zeno 2 / Niviuk Drifter 2, 3480.5
Olga Plotnikova, KAZ, Ozone Photon / Supair Strike 1530.1

Teams
1. Ozone
2. Northwest Paragliding
3. Niviuk 1

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