Dramatic first day at the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Italy with 30 knot high speed starts, grueling six mile long courses and lost leaders.
- Six mile long Wingfoil races
- High speed ‘Rabbit’ starts
- Cramping forearms
- Lost leader takes fleet in wrong direction
The 20- to 30-minute-long races are unique in wingfoil racing, the six-mile-long races being almost five times the length of normal Wingfoil races.
Added for the combined fleet of 82 riders was a high speed ‘Rabbit’ start, where a motorboat hammered along the line at 30 knots and all riders had to duck behind it to start – a sort of high-speed version of the more sedate dinghy ‘Gate’ start.
So different but so important since the fleet is ranked based on these results going into the next stage of the competition on Thursday.
While the high speed start might have been successful, left to their own devices, some competitors went astray.
The leading pack mistakenly rounded a non-racing mark and went to the finish line halfway up leg three instead.
Eight Riders, all men, made this painful mistake including some event favorites including Bastian Escofet.
Frenchman Julien Rattotti was the correct winner of the first race despite being just behind the leading pack.
By the end of the second long-distance race, Rattotti slipped to second overall behind tour leader Mathis Ghio who won the final long-distance race by nearly a minute.
Poland’s Kamil Manowiecki had impressive consistency, never crashing out and sits in third overall, an impressive result for a rider who only started competing on proper race gear a year ago.
The top women were around four minutes behind the men in each long-distance race and the first four were wing to wing heading into each final leg.
Manon Pianazza of France, ranked 38th in the world, is leading. She kept the pedal down the whole day to finish first in both races.
While Karolina Kluszczynska of Poland had a perfect pair of second places and sits in second. Women’s tour leader Nia Suardiaz of Spain came back from a slow start and is in third overall.
Riders were shaking their arms to get blood back into cramping forearms and there were red faces on the shore showing both exhaustion and frustration.
Friday riders will be split into three fleets of equal strength. to sail short track races.
World Cup Italy – Men Leaders
1. Mathis Ghio FRA
2. Julien Rattotti FRA
3. Kamil Manowiecki POL
4. Francesco Cappuzzo ITA
5. Nicolo Spanu ITA
6. Alessandro Jose Tomasi ITA
7. Alan Fedit FRA
8. Freddie Strawson GBR
9. Jeremiah Mcdonald NZL
10. Yannik Holste GER
World Cup Italy – Women Leaders
1. Manon Pianazza FRA
2. Karolina Kluszcynska POL
3. Nia Suardiaz ESP
4. Emilia Kosti GRE
5. Charlotte Baruzzi ITA
6. Maddalena Maria Spanu ITA
7. Marta Monge ITA
8. Orane Ceris FRA
9. Kristyna Chalupnikova CZE
10. Monika Mikkola FIN
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