- Not enough wind for Gold Fleet means competition cuts straight to Sunday's Medal Series
- But... any of the 113 riders can still win, thanks to the 'Golden Ticket'!
- Can Romain Ghio battle his way out of the long-distance race and beat his bro, Mathis?
- And will any of the women be able to topple Nia Suardiaz from the top of the tree
- Windy in the morning, lighter in the afternoon, makes for a wing-choice headache
- But another day of warm water and warm breeze still makes for a great day's racing
- Four men's and two women's qualifying groups for the opening series
- Perfect 5 from 5 for top women Nia Suardiaz (ESP) and Maddalena Spanu (ITA)
- Almost perfect for the top three men - Ghio, Manowiecki and Cappuzzo
- A fleet of 113 riders gather on Pingtan Island for first ever Wingfoil Racing World Cup in China
- Warm winds of 20 knots make for great long-distance racing
- Kamil Manowiecki of Poland is fastest out of the high-speed rabbit start
- Mathis Ghio (FRA) and Nia Suardiaz (ESP) are winners of the Marathon Race
- Bastien Escoffet (FRA) clocks up highest speed on the race track, 33 knots
- Mathis Ghio [FRA] and Maddalena Spanu [ITA] are the new Formula Wing European Champions.
- Conditions didn’t allow for the Golden Ticket Race to run; Julia Repschlager [GER] and Jeremiah Mcdonald [NZL] retained their 10th position spot from the fleet racing and progressed to medal series.
- Wind eventually filled in to enable an exhilarating medal series to be completed.
Low cloud and a touch of drizzle made for a very atmospheric day in Silvaplana. With the wind not filling in until 14:00, there was sadly no time to run the highly anticipated Golden Ticket long distance race. This meant that Repschlager [GER] and Jeremiah Mcdonald [NZL] could keep their 10th place spots and thus progress into the semi-finals. As the lightwind filled in, the racing was incredibly exciting, with critical importance of staying in the pressure and making no mistakes. Executing this to perfection were our two new European Champions, Mathis Ghio [FRA] and Maddalena Spanu [ITA].
- Mathis Ghio [FRA] takes the lead in the men’s rankings.
- Maddalena Spanu [ITA] continues to dominate in the women’s fleet.
- Marta Monge [ITA] and Oscar Leclair [FRA] book their tickets straight through to the finals.
Wingfoilers are certainly a tough breed! Event race officer Mirco Babini couldn’t believe his eyes at the impressive display of “ice gladiators” battling for bullets on the racecourse. As temperatures plummeted to lows of 1˚C, riders completed two races in the morning session to wrap up the qualifying series before the fleets were split and the Gold fleet racing began!
- Wind conditions didn’t allow for racing today on Lake Silvaplana.
- Riders went to St. Moritz to enjoy a variety of alternative foiling activities.
Unfortunately, there was no racing today due to inconsistent light winds on Lake Silvaplana. Instead, the riders made the most of the free afterpumfoiling, SUP foiling, tow foiling, and even showcasing an impressive display of lightwind wingfoiling many years and is a paradise for a multitude of windsports and foiling activities.
- Maddalena Spanu [ITA] and Bastien Escofet [FRA] maintain their leads.
- Icy waters and gusty winds create challenging conditions and exciting racing.
- Race wins for France, Italy and Poland as qualifying series begins.
Following some fresh snowfall last night, the mountains of Silvaplana delivered icy conditions for the first day of course racing. It was certainly a ‘head out of the board’ day; riders had to keep an eye on the gusty and shifting winds, as is often the case for mountainous venues like these.
Today’s racing certainly put the spectators of Silvaplana on the edge of their seats! The two-lap races were full of opportunity, with nothing certain right up until the finish line
- 55 riders from 14 countries registered to race in Silvaplana
- The Formula Wing introduces limitations to the equipment each rider is allowed to use at an event
- Newly crowned Marathon world champions, Bastien Escofect [FRA] and Maddalena Spanu [ITA] claim first bullets of the event in the marathon race
The Ensis Engadinwing 2024 Formula Wing Europeans kicked off today in the breathtaking Lake Silvaplana. The Formula Wing marks a significant milestone in wingfoil racing as it introduces limitations to the equipment each rider is allowed to use at an event. This means a rider can register only 1 board, 1 mast, 2 gliders and 3 wings within size categories (6m and larger, between 4.5m and 6m, and less than 4.5m). The riders had to make some tough decisions: should they choose the fastest gear possible, or play it safe with a bigger glider and board combination? This choice could be critical in determining whether they can get up and foil in the lighter winds that Lake Silvaplana is famous for.