El Peñon Classic Race is coming up this February 2026 featuring Sport Class and Open Class.
This event will be held in El Peñon, Temascaltepec, Mexico from Friday 20th to Saturday 28th 2026 with a rest day in between.
This competition is organized by El Peñon Club and partner with Wills Wing and is a FAI event registered with FAI CIVL. This event will be ranked in the WPRS system.
Traditionally, both Open and Sport classes fly King Posted hang gliders in this event. This is not a requirement but it has been a common practice in this comp and is strongly recommended due to the sometimes strong conditions during landing approach and landing fields sizes that are more optimal for king posted gliders.
Wills Wing Flight School and FlyMexico are the local flight clubs/schools and they both offer gliders for rental in excellent or new condition. Also, the Wills Wing production facility is in town and there are spare parts or repair services available prior, during and after the comp.
This is a must-do competition if you are a world-class pilot or if you are intermediate and looking to begin competing or improve your flying while learning from top pilots. Every year we have lots of fun in optimal XC conditions.
Practice flights will be available onsite during the days leading up to the competition.
Pilots must have minimum certifications or their national equivalent: Hang 3 (Intermediate), Foot Launch proficiency, Cross Country, and must be comfortable and proficient flying and landing in turbulent conditions.
Registration
Friday, February 20
09:00 – 13:00
14:00 – 18:00
Mandatory safety briefing
Friday, February 20
18:00 – 19:00
Opening ceremony
Friday, February 20
20:00
Official training day
Saturday, February 21
Flying days
Sunday, February 22 – Saturday, February 28
Rest day as per section 7
8:00 – 10:00 – Registration at HQ (For those arriving late)
8:30 – Meet Director/Task, Weather and Safety Commitee meetings
9:00 – Event vans depart to launch
11:15 – At Launch Site – Pilots’ briefing / Weather briefing / Previous task official results / Task definition
12:15 – Launch Window Opens
17:00 – Scoring Office Opens
21:00 – Provisional Results broadcasted daily via Whatsapp
9:15 – Vans and Cars Depart to Launch
11:00 – Pilot Meeting
16:00 – Flight tracks processed at HQ
Price giving and closing ceremony
Saturday, February 28
El Peñon LZ
All participants must have minimum pilot ratings or higher as required by the event organizer and/or the site/weather conditions.
USD $220 or its equivalent in Mexican Pesos during registration.
Online payment only — no cash or on-site payments accepted.
El Peñon, in Temascaltepec, near the town of Valle de Bravo “Valle” is known for being a consistent site with more than 300 flyable days a year.
The best season starts on November with cloud bases over 4500MSL / 15,000 ft.
The peak season starts on January and it goes until April when the rain season starts. Rainy days are also flyable for a few hours. Rain season ends in September and from then to December days are usually very mellow and nice to fly, perfect conditions for students, beginners or just relaxed flying.
The area is always referred as Valle de Bravo “Valle” or “El Peñon” in reference to the +1000 feet vertical rock formation infront of the launch. Valle is a beautiful lake town with great hotels, restaurants and great street food. Launch site is a 30 min drive from Valle near a small rural town named Temascaltepec. When you plan your trip always look for a stay or activities in Valle de Bravo.
Launch Site: This site has hosted several international and world competitions. The launch site is wide, with plenty of space for parking, setup and lauch. Public restrooms available.
GPS coordinates, Launch: 19°3’41” (19.0616)N; 100°5’27” (100.091)W – Elevation : 2336 m / 7,664 ft
Landing: Official landing (LZ) is a large grassy field 2.5 kms in front of the launch. Snacks and drinks are available at the LZ.
GPS coordinates, Landing Zone: 19°2’45” (19.0459)N; 100°6’32” (100.109)W – Elevation : 1775 m / 5823 ft
Multiple transportation options from Valle to launch are available. You can arrange during registration day.
Getting to Launch from Valle de Bravo Town: Take the road from Valle de Bravo to Temascaltepec and turn right in the Albarrada road sign. Follow the signs on the dirt road to the launch.
Weather Hazards: Strong thermals and rough air are common during this month. You must be comfortable flying under these conditions.
Flight regulation: Basic VFR rules apply. See and Avoid!.
Valle is an area with lots of flying activity. You most always be aware of other pilots flying near you.
You can arrive at either the Toluca International or Mexico City International Airport. From the airport you can arrange with the event organizers transportation to Valle de Bravo “Valle” or there is regular bus schedule almost every hour. Details below. The bus trip from Mexico CIty to Valle is 3 hours, from Toluca airport is 1.5 hours. International flights arrive to Mexico City.
To take a bus ride from Mexico City Airport to Valle first you need to take a taxi to the bus station named “Observatorio”. Taxi from Mexico City airport to bus station cost $200 Mexican pesos (approx $10 USD)
Time schedules for the Valle the Bravo bus may vary, but basically you will find daily departures from 5:00 AM up to 5:00 PM, one every hour. (For example, 5:15, 6:15, 7:15 and so on)
Be sure to buy and to ride the “Libramiento” (Toll Road) bus route to Valle and NOT the “Amanalco” route. The new “Libramiento” route will take you to Valle in less than three hours via the toll road system or the new highway
We can help arrange private and group transportation from the airport to Valle, Whatsapp “Transport Hotline” number will be posted 30 days prior the event.
Those who don’t have transport during the competition, we have arranged with local friends transport and retrieval service for $280 USD for the 8 days of competition. This service includes bringing your wing from the HQ’s to launch and track you and pick you up from where you land and take you back to the HQ’s. This is a group service so you will be riding with others. We have plenty of spots available so you can arrange for this service during registration.
Casa Regional de Cultura, near the main harbour in downtown Valle de Bravo
Registration
Tavo Gutierrez
tavo.gutierrez@gmail.com
Organizer
Rudy Gotes
rudy.gotes@willswing.org
Safety Officer
Jeff Hunt
jeff@flymexico.com
Organizer
Salvador Diaz
chava6534@gmail.com
Transport and Logistics
Ricardo Tovar
ricardo.tovar@willswing.org
Monica Spaventa
monica.spaventa@willswing.org
Meet Director
Eduardo Panuco
panucoeduardo@gmail.com