Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Dynamic 40 Leaderboard

2024 Formula Wing Europeans Day 2: The first to cross the finish line is the first to the sauna!

by Jemima Crathorne 12 Jun 2024 13:46 PDT 11-16 June 2024
High altitude racing amongst the snowy mountains of Switzerland - 2024 Formula Wing European Championships © IWSA media / Sailing Energy

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

Big gusts. Even bigger opportunities.

Maddalena Spanu [ITA] continues to top the women's leaderboard, clinching yet another race victory following a close battle with Orane Ceris [FRA]. Ceris remarks, "It was super complicated on the racecourse as the wind was crazy shifty. It's all about luck; I'll aim to stay lucky in the upcoming days," echoing the unpredictable nature of the sport. Ceris' luck continued into the next race as she claimed the final bullet of the day, closely followed by Hong Kong's Wai Yan Ngai in second place. The changeable conditions offered numerous tactical opportunities, while also leaving lots of room for error, "you need to stay focused right until the end" remarked Ngai. "The gusts are so strong that I even fell in the water at the start of the first race today, but luckily, I was still able to catch up. After that, my strategy was to keep an eye on the gusts, be ready for it and stay with it." Ngai adds that the biggest challenge was to "save energy and keep the fingers warm while waiting for the next race."

A race day to remember

Following yesterday's marathon, the men were split into 3 fleets for the qualifying series. France's Oscar Leclair proceeded to dominate his fleet with impressive consistency amidst the tough conditions. Leclair commented, "we couldn't feel our hands or feet. It was really strange to wing like this, not being able to feel the foot straps! It's been a long time since I've trained in weather like this, usually I'm running away from the cold!" Regarding his winning strategy, Leclair humorously remarked, "I knew if I went as fast as possible, I would cross the line first and be able to get back to the sauna first!"

Bastien Escofet's solid performance in the same fleet keeps him in the overall lead, whilst Kamil Manowiecki [POL] climbs to second place in the overall standings. Light wind on the launch area caught the racers off guard, unanimously opting for their biggest wings. Manowiecki reflects, "in the first race I had my big wing, but I didn't feel comfortable tacking as I was overpowered. During the break, I made the decision to return to shore to change to a smaller wing. It was the tactical choice for the short course racing, as it was easier to adapt to the short but powerful gusts." The decision paid off, resulting in a race win against Francesco Cappuzzo [ITA], who had won the previous race.

In the third fleet, it was a showdown between Mathis Ghio [FRA], and Alessandro Tomasi [ITA], who won the event here in Silvaplana last year. "It was a race day to remember!" remarked Ghio. Drawing from his training in similar conditions on the lake earlier in the week, Ghio used what he'd experienced to help wrap his head around the difficult conditions. "A lot of tactics were required, but there was definitely a similar pattern to what I discovered in training" Ghio explained. He adds, "it was great to be in the same fleet as Ale, we had some tight battles in the front. Constantly overtaking each other the entire race; in the final race, I hit a lull and Ale came like a bullet from behind and overtook me."

Tomorrow is the last day of qualifying races and will decide who will progress to Gold fleet for the men. You can track your favourite riders live on Metasail throughout the week and stay updated day to day through our social channels.

Results Men

1. Bastien Escofet FRA 2.6 p
2. Kamil Manowiecki POL 3,6 p
3. Oscar Leclair FRA 4.0 p

Results Women

1. Maddalena Spanu ITA 3.0 p
2. Marta Monge ITA 10.0 p
3. Wai Yan Ngai HKG 10.0 p

For more information visit wingfoilracing.com/2024europeans.

Related Articles

Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour Trapani day 2
In Trapani, the Royal Madras team was 1st in the offshore race. The Royal Madras team was the first to arrive in Trapani and win the offshore leg, followed by the Verein Seglerhaus Am Wannsee and Aeronautica Militare teams. Posted on 26 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 6
Double gold for France in Olympic classes Perfect sailing conditions marked the final of Kieler Woche in the Olympic skiff, dinghy, and surf classes: On Wednesday, June 25, the waters off Schilksee offered fresh to strong, challenging winds with flat waves. Posted on 25 Jun
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour Trapani day 1
Leaving the Ionian Sea behind them, yesterday early evening the boats passed Portopalo A route of about 200 miles that will take the Figaro3 of the Marina Militare Nastro Tour 2025 from Syracuse to Trapani for the sixth stage, the second in Sicily. Posted on 25 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 5
Tuesday served as a warm-up for the hot finale of Kieler Woche Sophie Steinlein and Catherine Bartelheimer from Bavaria in the skiff, as well as Kiel native Fabian Wolf on the foiling windsurf board, will enter Wednesday's (June 25) medal races as leaders. Posted on 24 Jun
GWA Wingfoil World Cup Tarifa 2025 Preview
This event will be held at Bibo Beach House, Valdevaqueros The second stop in the race for Surf-Freestyle crowns is ready to kick off in Tarifa with contests tightening. Posted on 23 Jun
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour Siracusa overall
Team Verein Seglerhaus Am Wannsee wins in Siracusa The Verein Seglerhaus Am Wannsee team wins the Siracusa leg in the offshore category, after 37 hours of sailing and with only one minute and twenty-one seconds of difference from the Ocean Cruising Club team that came in second. Posted on 23 Jun
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour Siracusa day 1
In Siracusa for the fifth leg and the first island stage The Nastro Rosa Tour lands in Sicily, in Syracuse, for the fifth stage, the first island stage, which will be followed by Trapani, Cagliari and La Maddalena. Posted on 21 Jun
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour Catanzaro day 2
The Marina Militare Team wins in Catanzaro The Marina Militare team wins the Catanzaro stage in the offshore category. Having left Brindisi, after about 40 hours of navigation, the Navy's Figaro 3 crossed the finish line first, leaving behind the Guardia di Finanza team and the Royal Madras team. Posted on 19 Jun
Nastro Rosa Tour 2025 Catanzaro Day 1
A day of competitions for the Waszp and Wing classes and an evening of events at the Village The Calabrian city hosts the Nastro Rosa Tour stage again in this edition and the Regatta Village has come to life in the Port Area. Posted on 17 Jun
Herbert makes impressive Wing Foil Racing debut
New Zealand's Sean Herbert has announced his arrival on the international stage with a bronze medal. New Zealand's Sean Herbert has announced his arrival on the international stage with a bronze medal at his Wingfoil Racing World Cup debut. Posted on 17 Jun
Zhik 2024 DecemberHyde Sails 2024 - One DesignC-Tech 2020 Battens 2 728x90 BOTTOM