Two New Zealand riders have punched into the quarter-finals of the Formula Wing World Championship medal series in Istanbul. Kosta Gladiadis and Sean Herbert earned their spots through a gruelling 12-race gold fleet series, and neither made easy work of it.
Gladiadis qualified seventh overall, recording seven top-10 finishes including a standout second place. Herbert finished one position behind in eighth, posting eight top-10 results and a best of fourth.
Only nine riders advanced directly to the men's medal series. Italy leads the national count with three representatives, including Francesco Cappuzzo and Alessandro Tomasi, who secured direct qualification to the grand final. France also has three, with New Zealand's pair joined by Poland's Kamil Manowiecki to round out the field.
Then there was the small matter of the Bosphorus. Gusty, unpredictable conditions on the final day of qualifying gave the chasing pack every chance to claw back ground on the leaders, and the strait, never subtle, seemed to relish the role.
A Golden Ticket race on Saturday gives one more rider the chance to join the quarter-final fleet and complete the 10-rider medal series field.
The medal series will be livestreamed, with racing getting underway from 11pm tonight (NZ time).
