KPWT Canada 2009 - Day 6

Day 5 on the KPWT ACADIE KITEBOARD PRO 2009 proved another great day for the riders. They managed to complete the kiteloop discipline and run the sliders competition.

The sliders competition started off around 18h30, with a 15 knot North Westerly blowing.
The race director held an expression session of 45 minutes, one heat and 7 riders. The riders had to perform their best moves on the slider, kicker and fun-box provided!
It was a great show for all, as the wind was at a good speed and the flat lagoon water proved to be the ideal surface to land some cool tricks.

Ranking:
1st: John ROBICHAUD (CAN, Liquid Force)
2nd: Cameron DIETRICH (HAW, Cabrinha)
3rd: Jesse RICHMAN (HAW, Cabrinha)

Today, day 6 began with a skippers meeting at 10h00 and unfortunately the wind had dropped off and a further announcement was to be made at 12h00.

The Course Racers are hoping for wind, to get another opportunity to enjoy the conditions here in Shippagan and push their rankings.
The forecast however is not good, and is showing in the low temperatures this morning. All the riders are so pleased they were gifted the opportunity to really push themselves in some good conditions!

The KPWT ACADIE KITEBOARD PRO 2009 has managed to complete 5 disciplines over 6 days and 4 spots in the Shippagan area.
A huge success!
The closing ceremony will take place this evening from 20h00 at the Pavillon Aquatique restaurant in Shippagan. This will be followed by the prize giving ceremony at 21h30, which invites all to come and participate. The mayor of Shippagan, the Deputy of Acadie Bathurst, the minister of transport, the regional minister of New Brunswick, the staff, the riders and of course the KPWT staff will all attend this fantastic finale to a momentous event here in Canada!

Please make sure to follow the KPWT to its next stop in Dakhla, Morocco.

KPWT Canada 2009 - Day 5 After such a great day of Waves yesterday the skippers meeting was called at 10h00, to give the riders a little time to rest. Today will be a day for the Kiteloop contest, with a good strong 30 knots of wind blowing. The competition will be in front of the Windsurf Kitesurf Club of Eric Girard. It is superb to be able to move around the location and take advantage of the best spots for each discipline. ON the KPWT Acadie Kiteboard Pro 2009, we have already used 4 different spots in La Meque, Shippagan to make the most of the conditions! It was a spectacle today with all the pro riders pushing themselves in these strong conditions. Stefan Permien (GER, KITEFACTORY) took the Kiteloop double elimination with Jesse Richman (HAW, CABRINHA) coming in a close second. Kirsty Jones (UK, NORTH) managed to perform the best outright kiteloop in the women’s division and will take her first title in this discipline. Well done to all riders, we are going to try the first few rounds of sliders this afternoon. Results will follow in tomorrow’s press release. KPWT Canada 2009 - Day 4 Day 4 started early again at 07h00 with swells up to 1.5 meters and a strong wind of 40 knots. The race director decided to run the single Wave Master Elimination followed by the double if there was enough time in the day. Most riders chose their 5 -7 meter kites and used the power well to get the most out of the waves. Abel Lago (SPA, RRD) lost early in the single elimination to Cameron Dietrich (HAW, CABRINHA), who went on to face Jesse Richman (HAW, CABRINHA) in the losers final. Mitu Monteiro (CV, F-ONE) showed his dominance in this discipline, performing some smooth bottom turns and strong cut backs to take the single elimination from fellow islander, Jan Marcos Riveras (DOM REP, STARKITES). Abel in the double, rode like a man possessed and slowly progressed his way through the rounds, meeting Mitu in the final. He took the first final with some powerful turns and energized riding, being the first to take a heat from Mitu this year in the Waves. Mitu rode very well in the second final with some intelligent Wave Riding, using the power of the kite as little as possible and pushing his board to the absolute limit, riding strapless. A big mention needs to go out to Kari Schibevaag (NOR, OZONE) who is really starting to show how hard work can pay off. She defeated Kirsty Jones (UK, NORTH) in the single and double elimination final and will stand the first place podium in the Freestyle and Waves! The day ended very late at 20h00, but was worth every minute to see the worlds best riders enjoy the strong conditions gifted to them today.

KPWT Canada 2009 - Day 3

The KPWT ACADIE KITEBOARD PRO started off on day 2 with 3 exhilarating course races!
Each race was run over two laps and a distance of 4.5km. The wind was at 12-14knots and blowing from the southeast.
The course was set out in a triangular shape and took the winner of each rider no longer than 22 minutes.

This morning (Day3) started with huge excitement after a good forecast for the day.
The Skippers meeting was held at 07h00 and the race director gave the green flag to start with the freestyle single elimination.
The wind was constant at 25-30knots and from a good southerly direction.

And what a day it was for Stefan Permien! He was in sublime form and looked at home in these conditions. He defeated the likes of Leander Vyvey (BEL, JN), Mickael Schitzhofer (AUS, JN), and Jesse Richman (HAW, CABRINHA), meeting Vincent Tiger (FRA, F-ONE) in the final!
The final was epic and the riders were getting great power and performing some smooth strong moves.

Tiger launched himself into a HUGE kiteloop, followed by a stylish front and back mobe. It just didn’t seem enough to defeat the man of the day whose array of tricks from back mobes to kiteloops and a stylish sbend-pass, was deserved of the freestyle singles title!

The women’s final was between the Wave Master World Champion, Kirsty Jones (UK, NORTH) and Kari Schibevaag (NOR, OZONE), who has now reached her second final in a row on the 2009 KPWT.
And congratulations to Kari Schibevaag for winning her first women’s freestyle single elimination on the KPWT. You are proving yourself to be a strong contender this year and we hope you keep enjoying the KPWT.
At 14h30 the race director started the double elimination to take advantage of the strong conditions. The results and further details will follow tomorrow.

KPWT Canada 2009 - Day 2 After an excellent opening ceremony, including all the riders, the mayor of La Meque and the teams, today kicked off the first day of this exciting competition! The skippers meeting for the day began at 11h00 and all seemed hopeful to run some course racing in the afternoon. The wind looked to be increasing from today and into the rest of the competition. Over 25 international riders were registered to compete in the Course Racing discipline and all looked eager to get started. There are many spots on offer around the Chiasson office and a bus for the riders was on standby in anticipation for the first race and where it will be. The freestyle riders are looking excited with the forecast of great wind tomorrow as I am sure they want to put the conditions to the test and have some fun on the water! Course Races are ready for a 3pm start near the lighthouse in front of the Chiasson Office. Buoys have been placed and the course outlined, ready to be tested by the riders. The local TV channel is prepped to broadcast the races live and show the locals what KPWT has to offer. Tonight’s dinner will be at the "Petit Mousse" and "Au Depart" will host the after party in Shippagan. Look out for the results from today and more exciting news from the KPWT ACADIE KITEBOARD PRO 2009!

KPWT Canada 2009 - Day 1

The first day on the KPWT Acadie Kiteboard Pro 2009.
Skippers meeting started the day at 10h00 for further details as to conditions.
Unfortunately as anticipated, the wind never arrived from the forecasts of cyclone “Bill” and the riders used this opportunity to take to the water and test the waves.

The competition is predicted to be a great show in the Wave Masters discipline as the World’s top riders have arrived to appreciate this new location and to push themselves further up the KPWT rankings for 2009!

The location is ideal for the riders, peaceful, beautiful and with strong conditions.
Kirsty Jones (UK, Animal) is here after winning the first two Wave Master events and looking strong at the top into the few events left this year.
Many local riders have also come to the competition to test themselves against the World’s best and see how their local knowledge can benefit.
There are some big local names, William Acosta (CAN, STARKITES), Simon Gill (CAN, DAKINE) and Eric Gerard (CAN, CABRINHA) who have up down to Shippagan.
We have seen this in Germany 2009, when Mario Rodwald and Stefan Permien, used their local knowledge to dominate the freestyle in Sylt.

Tonight hosts a barbecue for all at 19h39 to celebrate the success of yet another KPWT stop for 2009. And hopefully tomorrow the wind will arrive and the competition can begin with some World Class Kitesurfing!

KPWT Canada 2009 - Registration Day

KPWT Acadie Kiteboard Pro 2009
Kiteboard Pro World Tour
24 – 30 August 2009

Welcome to the North America stage of the 2009 KPWT.
KPWT ACADIE Kiteboard Pro 2009.

Registration day invited over 35 internationals from 15 different countries all making the trip to compete for the respective disciplines: Wave Masters, Freestyle, Kiteloop, Course Racing and Siders.

Cyclone “Bill” is forecasted for today, with strong gusty winds around 30-35knots and 3 meter swells.
There is huge excitement amongst all riders and everyone involved for this new stage on the KPWT. Some big names on the tour came down to register their names in this historic event up North. Jesse Richman (HAW, CABRINHA), Abel Lago (SPA, RRD) and Wave Master 2008 World Champion Mitu Monteiro (DOM REP, F-ONE) all came down to compete in the Waves.
Shippagan is renowned for good wind and accommodate those looking for flat water and some good waves.
Yesterday when we arrived it was a good temperature of 35°C, but today due to the storm pulling in, its dropped off a little.

Tonight there is a party at the “Kredo”. And tomorrow the opening ceremony will be held at the Chiasson Office. There is promise of a huge barbecue, some local beverages and all riders and teams are invited

Thank you to all the sponsors and the local organizing team for their support! KPWT are very excited to host their first event in Canada and look forward to the week ahead.