Foilboards for Course Races

[foiler]

Open Petiton to the IKA Racing Rules Committee


Rule - C.6.1. Board Appendages
(The shortest distance between the outermost point of the hull appendage and the hull shall not exceed 500 mm)

Dear Members of the IKA Racing Rules Committee

Unfortunately the rule mentioned above excludes foilboards from (IKA sanctioned) course races.
Foilboards have a high potential for course races, as Marc Blanc showed impressively during the European Championship 2009.
Especially concerning Olympics, where competition spots do often have low winds, it would be a real pitty if such highly efficient boards would not be admitted.

Furthermore I don`t think it makes much sense to form an own class because
1. a high spezialication would probably not support our sport (like it happend to windsurfing)
2. there are too few foilboarders (yet)
3. then foilkites would also have to run in an own class some day ?!?

The admittance of hydrofoils for course races would not only present our sport in a more spectacular and varied way, but also support bigger starter fields in races.

Therefore I ask, in the name of all the others who share my opinion to change the rule appropriately.

Kind regards
Mario Legenstein
(race addicted and enthusiatic for foilboarding:-)

this email is sent to:
www.internationalkiteboarding.org
www.kiteracing.com
www.kiteforum.com
www.oase.com

[Toby]

we need more discussion for next year's rules about gear.

We need to make sure the sport goes into the right direction.

The next days I will do some interviews with the current PKRA racers to see what opinions are out there.

[foiler]

Toby,
- I can imagine that there will be racers who wont support their opponents.
- A limitation of the line-length would maybe reduce tangles.

[EvanOR]

Toby,
- I can imagine that there will be racers who wont support their opponents.
- A limitation of the line-length would maybe reduce tangles.

I don't think that's the case at all at the moment....people show up every day with a new race board or fin combo, and everyone is stoked to see how it works out. There are many who wish it would go one-design so the playing field is level, but just as many who enjoy working out the fastest technology.

Restricting line length won't have an affect on tangles. Sometimes they are unavoidable, but mostly it comes down to rider skill, and knowledge and observance of the racing rules and appendix as it applies to kite racing.

Cheers,

Evan

Ocean Rodeo
Hyperflex Wetsuits

Performance over Hype

[kiter147]

yeah it would be great to have new gear on racing like the foilboards. but i know that the other riders wont support whoever is riding a foilboard, have you seen those boards? they go upwind better than anything ive seen on the water(better than many boats ive seen)
so maybe the other riders might want to have the foilboards in a different class or not even have them

[stefaans]

foilboards... like watching paint dry!

[lezo]

Having raced in the French championship this year besides the foilers, I would say that this year one needed the extraordinary strapless skills of Marc Blanc to be competitive on a foilboard. He was also much less in advantage on rough seas and he was a lot disturbed in Douarnenez by the seaweed. Foils are very competitive in very weak winds and on smooth, weed-less water. Even so, they are often chased down on the down-wind leg by directionals, on one race that I watched from the shore in Douarnenez, Bruno Sroka was almost two times faster than Marc Blanc on the downwind leg.

[foiler]

BUT: On the upwindtrack Marc Blanc was up to 1 minute in front of the second!!

[jwoodunlv]

Foils might be more efficient for racing if they were shorter. The foil part is so long there seems to be too much up and down movement and instability especially on downwind legs. I wonder if a foil that was only 9 or 12 inches below the surface might be faster.

[srq kiter]

Having raced in the French championship this year besides the foilers, I would say that this year one needed the extraordinary strapless skills of Mat Blanc to be competitive on a foilboard. He was also much less in advantage on rough seas and he was a lot disturbed in Dournanez by the seaweed. Foils are very competitive in very weak winds and on smooth, weed-less water. Even so, they are often chased down on the down-wind track by directionals, on one race that I watched from the shore in Dournanez, Bruno Sroka was almost two times faster than Mat Blanc on the downwind track.

BUT: On the upwindtrack Marc Blanc was up to 1 minute in front of the second!!

I'm Sure that Tiger Woods would have gotten as far as he did if he could only drive the ball and had no putting skills! NOT!!

That is the big challenge even for directional boards. Getting something that can go upwind like a bat out of hell and still can be controlled Downwind! That's why is thread is dead!!
Directional course boards are much more well rounded for a variety of conditions.