Please select your home edition
Edition
Barton Marine 2019 728x90

2021 KiteFoil World Series Gran Canaria Day 1

by International Kiteboarding Association 1 Dec 2021 13:40 PST 1-4 December 2021

Asked what a Frenchman eats for breakfast in Spain, today's winner smiled: "I eat an English breakfast in Spain. Look at my skinny legs! I need bigger legs to go faster, and that's why I need an English breakfast."

Another rider familiar with the Great British breakfast is Connor Bainbridge who powered his way to victory in the opening race, with Mazella breathing down the Briton's neck all the way to the high-speed finish. Bainbridge followed up with three second places and would have taken second in the last race of the afternoon but for a crash just before the finish line which dropped him to third.

Bainbridge's loss was Denis Taradin's gain, as the Russian Federation rider stormed past to steal second place. Taradin admitted it had taken him a while to get into his groove. In race two he was holding a healthy lead until a crash down the final run dropped him from first to fifth place. "It was tricky conditions in the waves and it took me a while to get into the flow. Either I was going fast and crashing, or going too slow. Connor sailed a really good day with all his second places but I was getting better by the end of the day. Whoever beats who at this event is probably going to end up taking second overall in this year's Series, so I'll keep on pushing."

Another Russian Federation rider, Mikhail Novikov, is leading the Under 19 youth category with a consistent bunch of sixes and sevens. In the women's division, Poema Newland had the best day and sits just a point outside of the top 10 overall. Another French rider Lauriane Nolot holds second in the women with Austria's Alina Kornelli in third. "Really hard racing out there," smiled Kornelli. "I lost a few places with a crash just before the finish. I think the high-speed reach at the end makes it hard for us to keep control and that's why we're seeing a few people fall right at the end of the races."

Maintaining board and kite control whilst thinking race strategy and tactics is a lot to take in for the human brain. A lot of the riders are happy to get round without a crash, but a mark of Mazella's brilliance was on display in race three. With Bainbridge and Croatia's Martin Dolenc approaching the final windward mark on starboard tack, Mazella came charging in from the left-hand lay line. Seemingly with no place to go the Frenchman managed to execute a perfect foiling tack right in the gap between his two rivals without fouling them. One slip and Mazella would caused an incident which would have required him to take a penalty. "I had to go for it otherwise I would have had to sail behind them both and give up the fight for first place."

Once around the mark, Mazella used the downwind superiority of the Ozone kite to sail a deeper line towards the bottom of the course. This gave him the ability to control the next gybe and take charge of the race until the finish. "The others were faster than me upwind but I have the edge downwind so that was my opportunity."

Racing continues at 1300 hours on Thursday with five more races on the schedule, although a higher wind forecast could make the conditions very challenging indeed. All the action on the climactic final two days of the regatta on Friday and Saturday will be featured on Facebook Livestream.

2021 Kitefoil World Series Gran Canaria - Men (5 races, 1 discard)

1. FRA Axel Mazella 4pts
2. GBR Connor Bainbridge 7pts
3. RYF Denis Taradin 13pts

2021 Kitefoil World Series Gran Canaria - Women (5 races, 1 discard)

1. FRA Poema Newland 40pts
2. FRA Lauriane Nolot 54pts
3. AUT Alina Kornelli 59pts

Full rankings available here...

Related Articles

Whitehead finish 9th at Formula Kite Europeans
A confident return to international competition in Urla, Türkiye Australia's Breiana Whitehead has made a confident return to international competition, finishing ninth overall at the 2025 Formula Kite European Championships in Urla, Türkiye. Posted on 20 May
Formula Kite Europeans in Urla overall
Nolot and Pianosi reclaim European Titles, and Maeder wins Open Trophy Racing couldn't have been more dramatic in the medal series day of the 2025 Formula Kite European Championships. With too many passes to count, a steady eight knots and smooth, turquoise water provided a perfect playing field in Urla. Posted on 19 May
Formula Kite Europeans in Urla day 5
Momentum shifts as 16 riders head to the Medal Series Fortunes were won and lost as five days of racing came down to the last minutes of Sunday's racing to determine which women and men would head to Monday's top-eight medal series. Posted on 19 May
Formula Kite Europeans in Urla day 4
Despair and dominance define chaotic day Scrappy racing in mixed up breeze kicked off the next stage of the championship as the leaders gave a masterclass in consistency while others dropped kites and places heading towards the medal series. Posted on 18 May
Formula Kite Europeans in Urla day 3
Racing cancelled, so let's focus on IKA being recognised as clean class The International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) is proud to have been recognized as a Clean Class by Sailors for the Sea, a leading ocean conservation organization. Posted on 16 May
Formula Kite Europeans in Urla day 2
Medalist comes back - others face gold fleet cut It was moving day on the Bay of Urla for some who chipped away at the top three while some leaders faltered and others straddled the gold fleet cut. Posted on 15 May
Formula Kite Europeans in Urla day 1
Smaller kites shrink the riders and mix the fleet Brave riders grabbed their opportunities on day one of the 2025 Formula Kite European Championships, in Urla, Turkiye. Posted on 14 May
Banger Racing, Back Racing and No Racing
Racing on the cheap, a return to racing for young Aussies, and ILCA struggles We start with racing on the cheap at the Colander Cup, then focus on a return to racing for the Aussies at the Youth Worlds, moving on to a complete lack of racing at the ILCA Worlds, and then looking at how SailGP should be back out on the water. Posted on 14 May
Breiana Whitehead set for Formula Kite Europeans
The Australian kitefoiler is back on the international stage this week Australian kitefoiler Breiana Whitehead is back on the international stage this week, as she lines up against top level competition at the 2025 Formula Kite European Championships in Urla, Türkiye from May 14 to 19. Posted on 14 May
Zhik expands Danish Sailing Team partnership
Continuing for another four years as Official Technical Apparel Supplier Zhik, global leader in high-performance water wear, is proud to announce its partnership with the Danish Sailing Team will continue for another four years, as Official Technical Apparel Supplier through to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Posted on 6 May
Vaikobi 2024 DecemberSelden 2020 - FOOTERCyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTER