Interview met Eric Carriere!
Door:
Wake
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19 March 2003
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14:43
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http://www.flysurf.com/videos/speedkasi.wmv Videotje ervan!
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Chasing a record… Speed, something French wind and kite surfer Eric Carriere, alias Kzimir, got heavily into from a very early age… Hardened by years of windsurf speed runs, he’s heading for the big speed showdown that’s going to be held at this year’s Leucate event!!! Interview with (young) man who only ever dreams about one thing, always going that little bit faster… We’ve got an exclusive video of his latest speed attempts!!! | |
| History lesson… Autumn 2002, Eric Carriere gives us a sneak preview of his first speed experiments… The first few were a bit of a laugh but the man’s sheer determination was enough to convince us… Kzimir (a stage ‘kitesurfing’ name) has, it’s true, some very strong arguments as to why we should take notice… Hardened by years of windsurfing, physically imposing, totally independent speed measuring system, Kzimir leaves nothing to chance and is training like a madman. The first serious attempts are logged: 36 knots, then 37, the latter achieved in mid-winter in rough conditions… A few weeks later and his experiments have already marked him out as the local madman but have also struck a chord with the organisation behind the Mondial du Vent at Leucate, his home spot! They decide to run the first ever official kitesurf speed challenge!!! Already one big victory, that of recognition for another new discipline… |
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Interview FSC : What made you have the idea of attempting a kitesurf speed record ? EC : Last winter on the beach at Coussoules, near Leucate, a friend of mine followed me in a car and when we’ got to the end of the course told me that he’d clocked 70kph. My blood raced and I quickly realised that those kind of speeds are very much possible!!! I’m always keen for an adventure!!!!!!! FSC : You’ve already got a lot of experience of windsurfing for speed, what were your best results at that ? EC : I always used production boards and my best windsurf speed is 39.78 knots over 500 metres, then at the Mondial 2 years ago I managed some 200 metre runs at 41.99 knots. FSC : You time yourself independently at the moment, how exactly does that work ? EC : To begin with, it was Michel from Hotel Leukos who lent me his radar, then we went and calibrated it at the motorway (there are marker posts every 100metres and 1 kilometre). It can take a reading instantaneously from a 100 metre run. After, as you’ll have seen on the vid, we marked out a 200 metre run and ‘big’ Philippe handled the starting signals etc. I should mention that there’s a team that comes along ever time a make an attempt, Yann who looks after the gear and carries the boards, Steph on the clock and Jean-Michel on the camera ! That’s the team, although I’ve forgotten to mention the shaper, Olivier from Kalamazoo, who makes my boards ! Big thanks to all of them for their support! FSC : How did your first kitesurf runs go ? EC : You know me, ripping to bits ! I had to let the wing go 2 or 3 times, we’d set up on a spot where there wasn’t enough build up space but even so managed a run which finished at 38 knots, using my original board and wing, a Rhino 10m2 with bar and lines and a Raptor Fanatic 130 with fins ! |
| FSC : As far as windsurf versus kitesurf speed goes what are the biggest differences (maybe their aren’t any) ? EC : There are plenty of differences but they’re changing every day, and like in everything else, it’ll be whoever has made the most runs who should learn the quickest. That’s also why there are 5 of us working on the project, that gives us 5 different views of the problems and possibilities It’s touch and go, you’ve got to get into a jibe without ever going properly flat. Otherwise it’s instant stop time. The attachments on the wing have paid the price a couple of times, literally cut in two !!! And me seeing stars for 5 minutes or so (crash helmet compulsory). FSC : What about specialised equipment ? EC : For now I’m dealing with one issue at a time. On the boards side I’ve got my Raptor which goes like shit off a shovel, then my Kalamazoo boards that I think will do the business pretty well too. That’s Twin Tips. After that there are the directionals and the infamous monoski. That’s already taken a long time to resolve so playing around with the wings and their line lengths can wait for now, even if the production models are fully satisfying anyway. FSC : Do you think a kitesurf rig could be the fastest thing on the water one day ? EC : I may live to regret it but I think very much so. I practice my windsurfing as much as my kitesurfing, I get ideas for both from both, but for simple economic reasons I believe that kites can go very, very quickly. To develop a new boat takes millions of Euros, for a new windsurf rig at least 200,000 but a kite is a genuine bargain because it can use the lessons of 20 years of windsurf technology and double that for boats ! That’s why I think kitesurf will go quicker. FSC : A Speed Challenge at the Mondial du Vent, that must be quite inspiring ? EC : A new record, and why not me to set it ? I can always dream!!! What can I say, speed, I fell for it, it’s really my bag as much on my windsurfer as my kitesurf rig. It’s incredible how much consideration you have to put in to get one small run completed!!! | |
Oef, dat gaat hard! :)
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Volgende/Vorige Items
Zomer
19 March /
2003 /
18:28
heel leuk allemaal maar als je nou die eerste foto ziet, denk je toch meteen wat een lulletje...>:)
RobbyNitroz
19 March /
2003 /
23:16
de ultrasnelle poephouding B)
RobbyNitroz had een 5 sterren sessie in Zandvoort met maar liefst 15 - 20 knots op zijn SlingShot Wave SST (2017)
RobbyNitroz
19 March /
2003 /
23:20
mmh in filmpie ziet het er best snel uit :) mooi vlak water trouwens
RobbyNitroz had een 5 sterren sessie in Zandvoort met maar liefst 15 - 20 knots op zijn SlingShot Wave SST (2017)
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