Ozone Team Rider Race Worlds 2011 News
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Sylt presented itself for the start of the Course Racing World Championships at it’s best; clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine!
A total of four races were completed on Day one, with Ozone riders dominating the scene.
The first 3 races were won by Johnny Heineken and the 4th race taken by Adam Koch. On the first set of races most people chose 13m Edges and were fully lit in 25 knots.
After this first day Johnny Heineken is sitting in first place overall with Adam Koch in second.
Keep it up guys and good luck to the entire Ozone team for the next days! We will keep you updated here and on the Ozone Facebook page with next results.
Cheers
Team Ozone
Johnny Heineken >> 1st Place in Race 5 >> Day 2 Worlds Update
Day 2 Worlds Update just in from John Heineken who has won the 5th race of the event
After a full day of postponement due to light air, the breeze shifted from offshore to onshore and built to 20+ knot winds at around 5:30pm. The race committee prepped for a 6:30 start, so we all pumped up our 9m Edges and charged out to the course.
The conditions were super challenging - windy, up and down, and enormous wind chop. After a hectic start, Adam was able to control the fleet and lead back to the weather mark on port. This was definitely right move because the course was surprisingly short for the breeze, and most people got pinned on starboard tack past layline. Adam led around the weather mark, I was close behind. This was possibly the craziest weather mark rounding ever.
I followed Adam as he screamed (literally…yelling) his way through a line of 60+ kites to make sure he didn’t get killed. Surprisingly we both made it, and the two of us were launched. Or so it seemed, until we couldn’t find the leeward mark. We had actually passed it and by the time we realized this it was catch up time again. Stupid!!!
About 4 guys passed us, and we really had to work to get them on the weather beat. Julian Keurner (France) rounded first, with Adam on his heals and me in 3rd. Adam and I smoked past him after the weather mark, and I battled hard to get inside Adam on the gybe. I made it…but looked back and he had fallen, letting Julien pass him by a hair. Still a consistent race for both of us in very tough conditions…
Unfortunately the race committee had to bail on a second race because they sucked some water into their fuel…oops. So after 2 days and 5 races the results are as shown. Ozone is holding solid in 1st and 2nd. The Team Mascot (Chip) is sitting 9th, Adam Vance is in 11th, and Andy is 13th. All the Americans are sailing strong, an we’re ready for three more days of hard sailing. The forecast is for more crazy conditions, can’t wait!
Johnny
Andrew Koch >> Day 3 Course Racing Worlds Update
Conditions remain excellent with onshore wind, breaking waves on the starting line and some nice shore pound to give you the extra challenge of getting off the beach. With a late start and 20+ knots of wind we all pumped up our 9m Edges and charged out through the big onshore waves. This was the first race I have done with breaking waves on the starting line. Some real carnage was happening in the fleet, but our training made the difficult conditions fun.
Johnny and Adam continue to dominate with Johnny taking 2 firsts and a 2nd followed closely at every turn by Adam with a 1,2,2 for the day. Speed and clean sailing is king for Adam and Johnny. I had a great last race rounding the first mark in the top 3 with most of the fleet taking a flyer out to the left of the course and sailing past the weather mark. Johnny passed me at the leeward mark and Adam got me before the next wearer mark. Damn these guys are fast and smooth. All the training and sacrifice is really paying off this year for us.
Today was a really fun day for Chip and I. We had a good battle going to move up in the rankings. I ended up port tacking the fleet at the pin end on the first two races. It was an amazing site to see 60+ kites charging the line with some serious anger and speed. Now I just need to keep the aggressive starts and continue to improve all the way around the racecourse. Chip picked up some consistent scores and is now pushing the top 5 in the fleet. With Chips speed and determination to grind upwind he can taste the top 5.
Adam Vance has been super fast throughout the regatta, but had a rough day with an unlucky launch with the breaking onshore waves hitting an underwater reef on the way out to the start. He will be looking for redemption tomorrow so everyone better watch out.
The team is just hitting its stride and feeling strong and fast. Wish us luck going into day 4.
Andrew Koch
Chip Wasson: Day 4 Course Racing Worlds Update
Here in Sylt, July 1st came in with a bang in the kiteboard racing department at the 2011 World Championships. I don’t know about the other riders out there but today offered up some of the most challenging racing conditions I have ever competed in! 6-8 foot breaking waves and swell that was all over the place accompanied by 30+ knot breeze. In these conditions the race committee could not even anchor their start boats which motored in place all day long always in fear of getting rolled. The race committee deserves a huge UP for even getting 4 races off in these conditions. Those guys have been working their asses off. The windward mark has been virtually impossible to see but they ganged a few marks together and finding it was a bit better than the day prior. It looks like tomorrow is supposed to blow 35 knots with 9 foot waves so racing is in serious question as the sailing instructions stated that we would not race in sustained 25 knot conditions…. We shall see.
The Ozone/Mikes Lab team really put forth big efforts and I personally applaud anyone who was even out there battling. Johnny rode three races on the 7m Edge and smashed it with four bullets. Fast and consistent was his game and it swamped the competition. He maintains first place at this point by quite a bit. Ah, to be young again….. Adam sailed great and ended with a 2,3,2,2 on the day and solidly defended his position in second place. Adam Vance had some good races and had a good shot at a third in the last race but understood the weather mark and sagged. He however has great speed when the power is on. Andy again had some great starts and really good races but had had a couple of miss hap’s that sidelined him for the last race and compromised his day. I was on my 9 meter all day long wound out of my mind simply trying to survive chocking off the kite and getting around the course feeling like a granny. I guess a lot of other people were feeling the same way as I was able to maintain all single digit finishes keeping me in the top ten but dropping one place to 9th and not being able to close the gap with Maxime the french kid I was gunning for. Congrats to all on a well earned SOLID day.
Mike Zajicek was replacing the whole Ozone beach crew catching and launching kites all day. Thanks a million Mike! Luckily Mike was also on hand to do a pro tape up job on Adams board where he crushed the nose rounding the weather mark looping going from 0 to 40 in .5 seconds. That first loop at the weather mark was almost suicidal every time and then came the swell rising and falling from from beneath you….GNARLY.
We are currently hanging out in out in our room pretty wrecked from the day and I don’t even think the great German beer is going to get us out the door before our heads hit our pillows. Well at least that is true for Andy, Johnny and me. As usual, who knows where Adam is, he never seems to run out of gas! Moor soon and thanks for all the support, we are trying to make everyone and America proud. As they say in the movie “Team America, F**k Yeah!”
Chip Wasson
Live coverage HERE
Results…
http://results.extremience.com/sylt2011course.htm