Breiana Whitehead was the star performer in the women’s fleet on day two of the Formula Kite World Championships in Quartu Sant’Elena, Sardinia. The Australian was the only rider to score two wins from four races, moving Whitehead up to third in the overall rankings. Meanwhile in the men’s qualifying competition, Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi displaces Singapore’s Max Maeder from the top of the rankings.
Even Whitehead admits there was some good fortune to emerge from her earlier misfortune when her favoured kite broke. With the strong north-westerly offshore Mistral breeze gusting off Poetto Beach, it was hard for the riders to assess which was the right size of kite to choose. “I actually chose the 11 [square metre kite], but when I launched I broke it,” she said.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk: A classic Mistral day in Quartu Sant'Elena
“So I had to come back in and I guess luckily I'm lucky I chose the 15. It worked quite well. I wasn't expecting that, I was expecting it to build and that my legs would be very sore, but it was right on the border [between the two kite choices]. It was a happy accident I guess.”
KAMPMAN HOLDS STEADY AT THE TOP
Whitehead’s results of 4,1,1,5 move her to just a point behind Lauriane Nolot in second overall. The French rider suffered a difficult start to the session with a UFD disqualification for crossing the start line of the first race too soon, then followed with a gradually improving 8,3,3 for the rest of the afternoon. She was less than happy with her inconsistent performance, but then again Nolot has done little time on the kitefoil since winning an Olympic silver medal at Paris 2024 last year.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk: Caught in a tangle
Whitehead was only one of two female riders to keep all her scores inside the top 10 on what was a very shifty, gusty day of racing in the Mistral. At times the breeze was shifting up to 60 degrees, making it very hard to stay in control on the board or to make solid tactical calls. The other rider to score consistently in the top places was Jessie Kampman, whose scores of 2,2,2,1 have moved the Dutch rider further ahead with a 10-point buffer at the top of the leaderboard.
NEVER SO MANY TACKS!
Almost managing top 10 consistency was Lily Young whose scores of 12, 3, 8, 2 see the British rider sitting in sixth place overall. “It was so gusty, patchy and shifty,” she grinned. “I've never done so many tacks in a race in my life, but I think that was an OK day, a solid day. I saw a lot of different people on the race course and I think it was very difficult to be consistent.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk: Four back-to-back races were turned around in quick time
“I think we are going to get another different day tomorrow, actually for the next three days. Maybe some light winds, maybe a bit of waiting to be done. But today was a typical day here in Poetto Beach, quite fun and challenging.”
DOCTOR BEAT
The only rider to keep a clean sheet, scoring a straight four bullets in his qualifying group, was Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi. He’s now tied on points with Max Maeder from Singapore, who scored three wins and a second, although the Italian is ahead on tie-break. On the occasion that Maeder finished second, it was Brazil’s orthopaedic surgeon Bruno Lobo who took the race win. “I was not doing good starts, so so my focus was to to do a very good start, being in front of the pack. And then I managed to do this. I was free to put in the speed and I was trying to control the fleet. I felt very relaxed, leading the race.”
© IWSA media/Robert Hajduk: Mistral kicking in over Quartu Sant'Elena
Compared with the full-time athletes, Lobo has to find the balance between his hospital job and kiting on the water. “I haven’t done a lot of time on the water, this year,” he said. “Mostly I have been doing a lot of surgery and working in sports medicine, and I have been training more on the land, doing Olympic weightlifting and cycling to be fit and strong. I did only a short block of training on the water in Brazil with Lucas [Fonseca] before coming here, so it’s good to be fighting at the front.”
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk: Cameron Maramenides, Toni Vodisek & Benoit Gomez having fun
Still holding third overall is Gian Stragiotti, the young Swiss rider continuing to impress with a consistent set of scores of 2,2,3,3, which places him four points ahead of Slovenian Olympic silver medallist Toni Vodisek in fourth overall.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk: Fighting for a lane upwind
Thursday looks set to bring lighter southerly onshore breezes for the start of gold fleet racing when the competition will become even more intense.
Racing takes place out of Poetto Beach in Cagliari from 27 September to 5 October. Results are updated as they happen, racing is being tracked, and the final two days will be live streamed on FaceBook and YouTube.
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