Tokyo 2020 - CR-X one design foiling kiteboard makes debut in Vietnam

by Sail-World.com on 21 Sep 2016 Neil Pryde has presented it’s new CR:X convertible foiling kiteboard class at a week of testing, clinics and racing at Ninh Chu Bay Beach Club in Vietnam.

The CR:X is tipped as one of the contenders if kiteboarding is included in the 2020 Olympics either under Sailing or Surfing.

One feature of the new kiteboard is that it comes with a kit enabling the board to be converted from a regular kiteboard to a foiler.

According to a review in International Kitesurf magazine, the class equipment combines a set of three inflatable race kites (7mtr, 10mtr and 13mtr) and a symmetrical twin-tip (TT) board that can be utilized not only for TT racing and ‘Boarder X’, but also for beginner training. The concept then allows for a hydrofoil to be added, which transforms the board into a different animal that can now perform and race at the light end of the wind scale. In a nutshell, CR:X aims to be a platform for both training and racing that can act as a springboard into the performance race classes, while racing in its own right as a one design package.

Foiling mode - CR:X Convertible Kiteboard, September 2016 © Neil Pryde - CR:X http://www.crxclass.com

The sport of kiteboarding enables participants to ride waves, jump to great heights and perform powerful freestyle moves or race at high speed across flat water. It is understood that the later of these variations, kite racing, has caught the attention of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and under the wing of World Sailing (WS).

The Kiteboard is one of four sailing disciplines slated to be included in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Argentina, as an Open event along with Boys and Girls Windsurfing and the foiling version of the Mixed Nacra 15.

For the full version of this story from International Kitesurf magazine click here

For more information visit: crxclass.com (currently only a sign up page for new and some images)