4 races and 2 rounds of freestyle double eliminations complete the third day of competition
It was yet another spectacular day in Sotavanto, the sun was out shinning and the wind was just as powerful as the previous couple days. Numerous spectators came out to the beach to be part of all the kiteboarding action. Helicopters hovered above the water as racers blasted their way across the water. Kiteboarding enthusiasts cheered as their favorite kiteboarder preformed complex tricks a few feet in front of them on the well-groomed sandy beach.
A total of 4 races were run today in the men’s as well as the women’s division which is the maximum allowable amount of daily races. The first race of the day began with a clean start however a lot of confusion, tangles and disputes followed in the second and third race. It was a difficult day for French rider Bruno Sroka (Cabrinha, FRA) who struggled with his equipment today, losing a fin box in one race, and a few technical errors throughout the following races however Sroka managed to put his head on straight in the last race of the day finishing first and received a redress in the first race which would put him into third place. Sky Solbach (North, GER) and Rolf Van Der Vlugt (Airush, NED) were next to next in most of the races today. Solbach managed to finish first in the first race of the day while Van Der Vlugt finished first in two consecutive races. The current racing leader, Julien Kerneur (Takoon, FRA) finished third in the first two races of the day while German rider Dirk Hanel (North, GER) made a come back by taking fourth place in the first race of the day and also a third place.
In the women’s racing division, North rider Steph Bridge (North, GBR) was on top of her game using great techniques and strategies earning her first place in all four consecutive races. German rider Kristin Boese (Best, GER) managed to finish in second place in the first two races while Katja Roose (Airush, NED) and Caroline Adrien (Cabrinha, FRA) each earned a second place today. Kari Schibevaag (Ozone, NOR) finished third in the first race of the day and managed to take fourth place in the third race of the day.
Once the races wrapped up for the day, race director Erik Troostheide set the box for the freestyle double eliminations. We ended the day having completed the first two rounds of men’s heats as well as the first round of women’s heats.
Tomorrow’s skippers’ meeting is scheduled for 10:00am for racers and 12:00pm for freestylers with a first possible start of 10:30am for racing and a 12:30pm first possible start for freestyle.
The Fuerteventura Kiteboarding World Cup 2010 is organized by Rene Egli with the help of many sponsors such as Rene Egli, Ayuntamiento de Pajara, Cabildo de Fuerteventura, Islas Canarias, Melia Gorriones, Fuerte Action, Tropical, NeilPryde and Cabrinha.