Press release – 16th June 2009

KPWT SEAT Kitesurf World Cup 2009
Kiteboard Pro World Tour – 16th – 21st June 2009

The SEAT Kitesurf World Cup and the first event of the 2009 KPWT tour started today.
75 professional riders will be competing in their respective disciplines: Freestyle, WaveMasters, Kiteloop and Course Racing. They will all be competing for the 50 000 euro prize money and the chance to boost their World Tour standings early on in the season.

The day started with breakfast served at 08h00 followed by a skippers meeting and the opening ceremony. Stephen Marret took charge of the microphone, introducing the judges, the race director and the marshals. The flags for each country represented at the event were then marched by the riders around the site and placed in front of the competition tents.

The NNW was blowing well at 15 knots and freestyle qualifications began the day. The local riders performed well to progress into the first rounds, but faced some fierce internationals that were giving absolutely nothing away. The choppy conditions started to make it difficult for the riders, but the wind had picked up nicely reaching 20 knots in the afternoon.

Stephan Permien (Germany) met strong competition from the WaveMaster World Champion, Mito Monteiro (Cabo Verde), but did enough to progress to his first KPWT final and face fellow German competitor Mario Rodwald! And what an exciting final it was, with Rodwald, taking the SEAT Kitesurf Freestyle Championship 2009.



The women started with an exciting first round match between Gisela Pulido (Spain) and Kirsty Jones (UK), with Gisela moving through the rounds onto the final to face the 2007 World Champion,Kristin Boese (Germany). The scene was set for a spectacular final and the crowd that had stuck out the cold, were not disappointed! Gisela peaked at the perfect time and grabbed the title of SEAT Kitesurf Freestyle Championship with both hands.




The weather forecast for tomorrow is not looking great, but decisions will be made and announced at the skippers meeting to be held at 09h00. It has been a successful day on the SEAT Kitesurf World Cup and all are very excited for the days ahead.

KPWT Technical Team:
Frédéric Gravoille: Promoter
Stephen Marret: Speaker
Diogo Cardoso: Cameraman
Julien Gazeau: Photographer

Organisation : KPWT & Partners
Brand Guides GmbH & Co.KG Co-organizer
Sponsors :
Gold Sponsors :
SEAT

Silver Sponsors :
SWATCH

Bronze Sponsors :
SMINT, Roadsign Australia

Partners:
Windguru, Vodafone, Blackberry, GKA

For further information
Please visit: www.kiteboardpro.com