Racing Heats Up at the Beetle Kitesurf World Cup
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The heats were reshuffled to make the racing more efficient so that more rounds could be completed faster. On the men’s side 3 heats of 7 were in the 1st round, with the top 3 of each heat advancing to the final. On the women side one super final was run during every round, meaning that every heat was crucial for the girls.
The wind was around 10 knots and all the racers were on 14 to 18 m kites. The course was set up with a port start off-shore, followed by 4 marks about 300m apart and the finishing line close to the beach. In the 1st round of race number 2 all the top seeds advanced along with Baumeister who was on fire today with his 19m.
“The 19 gave me the power I needed in the light winds, especially during the leg in-between mark 3 and 4 where you had to bear down wind a good bit and it was harder for everyone to maintain their speed.” -Marvin Baumeister
The first final Kerneur was in the lead from the start and stayed in front the whole way, Lake was on his tail and there was a strong battle in the back for 3rd. Gruber got his 3rd place while Castel and Withington were fighting in the back, while Smith came in 4th. For the women Boenniger was well in front with Sysoeva in race one.
The last 2 races of the day were the most exciting. All the competitors have adapted to the light wind and were comfortable with the conditions. The women were up first with Boenniger coming full speed at the gates and taking the lead, she was followed by Tatiana Sysoeva. The two women stayed in first and second position until the finish, the battle was for third place in between Boese and Lutz. Lutz caught up to Kristine on the last leg and got her for her first 3rd place finish of the event.
The men’s race was intense from start to finish, with Kerneur taking the lead at the first mark and fighting off Lake, who caught up to him a few times during the race. Baumeister came from the back of the pack with his 19 meter and got his first podium finish. Castel and Smith were in an all-out sprint to the finish line with Castel winning by half a board length. Adam was in six, Gruber 7th, Biniash 8th and Kappel 9th.
All the races today were very exciting with many intense starts, lead changes, technical moves, gear choices and good sportsmanship that made the day a success. Tomorrow the slalom racers will be on the water before the freestylers and hopefully will get some stronger winds to compete in different conditions. According to the forecast, it looks like the freestyler will be back on the water late afternoon when the wind picks up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNbO7hgqlIw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIzuKZbmPEE