Nova recognises its pilots of the year 2024
The awards are for sporting attitude as much as achievements in flying
28 October, 2024, by Cross Country
Now in its 17th year, Nova has announced its pilots of the year, recognising not just sporting prowess but also attitudes and fair play on the ground. Lukasz Sieminski (POL), Christian Berger (AUT), Martin Stofner (ITA) and Simon Raffeiner (AUT) all receive the award, while Daniele Scarcella (ITA) was honoured with the title, “Newcomer of the Year 2024”.
Nova CEO Ferdinand Vogel said: “Congratulations and many thanks to all the winners! Awarding the Pilots of the Year is always a huge pleasure. But at the same time, we find it very difficult because there are various other pilots who also deserve this award.”
Nova says all pilots were incredible ambassadors of the sport and the brand. “Christian flies every possible day and is an incredibly committed, positive person. He came seventh in the worldwide sport class ranking of XContest and third in Austria.”
Meanwhile Lukasz impressed with his “outstanding” XC skills. “He belongs to the world’s best cross-country pilots. Among his seven flights over 200km, a flat 276km triangle from Sorica stood out,” say Nova. “Lukasz took third place in the sport class in the worldwide XContest ranking. He won the national sports class ranking in Poland, where he came in second overall.”
Both pilots fly the EN-C two liner Codex. Simon, who flies the Xenon, was recognised for the way he dealt with disappointing results at the Bordairrace, where he came fifth. “Simon’s honest and authentic way of dealing with his setbacks really touched me. What’s more, his risk management and the way he deals with physical and mental limits is a role model for me,” said pilots team captain Timon Weber.
Daniele has only been flying since 2021 and has already flown a near-200km FAI triangle in central Italy. “It is therefore much more difficult than in the Alps,” Nova says. “Daniele also impressed with his extraordinary commitment and his communication within the team.”
Martin, who is from South Tyrol, was recognised for his extraordinary results, despite being a true amateur. He came second at Red Bull Dolomitenmann with his Bantam 2 and won the overall the Hike-and-Fly Treffen Südtirol. In that series, he took part in six out of the seven races and won five times, successfully defending his 2023 title.
All winners received a personalised beer mug and a voucher for €400 from Nova.
