Paramotor competition has spent too long racing flat out between pylons, turning over mown fields and measuring tenths of a second on closed circuits over water. The XTRM Series breaks that mould by taking powered flight back to its original calling: to travel, to navigate and to solve navigation in real time over unknown territory.
Sanctioned as an official FAI Category 2 event (CIMA World League Cup), the first edition of the XTRM Series will be held from 3 to 14 November 2026. A linear challenge that will link the east and west of Argentina over 1,300 kilometres split into seven consecutive stages, connecting airfields from Concordia, on the banks of the Uruguay River, to Tunuyán, right where the plains crash into the first foothills of the Andes.
The challenge in numbers
| Technical parameter | Official specification |
|---|---|
| Flight format | Rally Flight (open linear stages, airfield to airfield) |
| Sanction / Level | FAI Cat. 2 – CIMA World League Cup |
| Total distance | ~1,300 km in 7 stages (legs of up to 220 km) |
| Setting | Argentina: Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Córdoba, San Luis and Mendoza |
| Classes | PF1 (foot-launch), PF1f (women), PL1 (single-seat trike) |
| Expected field | 40+ international pilots from more than 12 nations |
The essence of Rally Flight: reading the air without magic screens
The XTRM Series Rally Flight format demands something no closed circuit can simulate. On tasks of up to 220 kilometres a day, taking off and landing on different airstrips calls for meticulous flight management. There is no point memorising a racing line; pilots have to interpret drift, early-morning wind shear and the thermal convection that starts shaking the frame around midday.
The rules introduce two pillars that completely change the tactical game:
- Visual navigation without real-time GPS: gone are the screens that automatically calculate the heading to the next waypoint. The organisers penalise live vector assistance, forcing pilots to fly the way it used to be done: a map board on the thigh, compass, rulers and recognition of ground features, mental drift calculations and the choice of air layers to optimise navigation.
- The EcoSpeed factor: winning is not about flying on full throttle with the trimmers released. The challenge lies in finding the exact throttle setting where the engine delivers its optimal specific consumption per kilometre flown. Pushing too hard into an unexpected headwind means running short of fuel and landing out; flying too slowly leaves the pilot outside the ideal thermal window.
From the Mesopotamian coast to the thin air of Cuyo
Crossing Argentina from east to west means facing five provinces and a weather map in constant flux. Pilots will take off from the Concordia Aero Club, link the Pacará and Gálvez airfields in Santa Fe, jump to Echo Victor in Córdoba, cross San Luis via Fly In and finish at Tunuyán airfield in Mendoza.
For the equipment, the commitment is brutal. The jump from the dense humidity and sea-level altitude of the coast to the altitude and thinner air of the Cuyo foothills will demand readjusting carburettors, calibrating propellers and choosing the wing loading of reflex wings precisely — wings designed to stay solid in turbulence without penalising sink rate.
Ojovolador’s take
The paramotor was born as a toy. For years, the search for “TV-friendly” formats led competition towards tight, twisty tasks that rewarded pure agility — relying above all on an ultra-manoeuvrable wing and raw power — pushing navigation skills and the spirit of adventure into the background.
The XTRM Series brings back that pulse of pioneering expedition, where every decision the pilot makes has consequences: working out whether that line of cumulus over the pampas will gift you a life-saving climb, or whether the forecast tailwind will turn into a headwind trap when you turn towards the hills. An event that will test not only the mechanical limits of the equipment, but the pilot’s aerological maturity and composure.
+ Info: https://www.xtrmseries.com/
