Italy: Day 2 of KiteFoil World Series Gizzeria produced slightly lighter winds and threw some subtly different challenges at the 96 riders competing in the south of Italy and winning the first race of the day meant a lot to Ellie Aldridge (GBR).
“That first race was the best. I haven’t won a race in a long time, always been a bit behind the leader for second or third, so I’m happy to be sailing as well as I did.”
Aldridge also bulleted her way to victory in the next race too.
“Daniela [Moroz] and Lauriane [Nolot] are normally way out ahead of the rest, so it’s good to be competing at the front with them. After today I’m more confident and happier, especially because light winds haven’t always been my strong point.”
The last of today’s five races was many riders’ favourite, because the predominantly one-way track to the right-hand side opened up as the breeze shifted to the left. Going out to sea became a viable option and one that Aldridge exploited in her bid to overtake Nolot from France.
At the finish, three riders crossed within three seconds of each other, Nolot holding on for the win ahead of Aldridge ahead of Moroz from the USA.
“There was an opportunity to go left, try something different,” Aldridge said. “I had a bit of a gap behind me, so I thought I’d see what I could find on the left and when we came back together, I was much closer to Lauriane.”
Nolot tried four port tack starts today and only in the final race did she start on starboard, spotting the options out to the left side of the course in the changing breeze. The French rider repeated her feat of day one by again winning the last two races of the session, yet she remains ambivalent about the venue.
“For me the races are too long, it’s very tiring. I had a lot of problems with my gear here last year and it was the same for me yesterday. If you think about it too much it starts to affect you, but I was working hard to get motivated again, because I really wanted to win the last races,” Nolot said.
The French rider even found motivation from scoring a UFD in the second race of the day when she was one of a few riders to break the start line a fraction too early: “It’s quite annoying to get a UFD but it shows that my starts are close, and that’s the good point of a UFD.”
The yellow bib wearer Poema Newland (FRA) also struggled with a difficult start to the day, including a UFD in the same race as her teammate. The winner of the 2021 KiteFoil World Series drops to third overall behind Aldridge and Moroz.
“I made some bad layline calls and crashed too many times,” Newland said. “It’s a mental thing that I need to change. It’s not possible to do well with so many mistakes in such a strong fleet, but tomorrow I go out again and do my best.”
So committed to the port tack start is Newland that she wears two watches on her left sleeve.
“Why would I need a watch on my right hand if I’m not going to start on starboard?” she laughed.
The same could be true of Toni Vodisek (SLO) who is one of the strongest enthusiasts of the controversial port-tack start in the men’s fleet. The young Slovenian won two of today’s five races and moves four points into the lead, taking the yellow bib away from Denis Taradin (CYP) who drops to second overall.
In third place is Lorenzo Boschetti (ITA) with the red bib wearer Axel Mazella (FRA) just a point off the podium in fourth overall. Riccardo Pianosi (ITA) is only two points behind Mazella and then it’s a large points gap back to reigning world champion, Theo de Ramecourt (FRA), in sixth overall.
That said, the nature of the Medal Series on the final day of competition in kitefoiling events means that any of the top 10 will have a good shot at the overall title this Sunday.
The slightly lighter breeze made it very hard to achieve consistency throughout the day. Mazella started in the best way possible, with a win.
“I started near the committee boat behind Theo and Denis. I saw they were both slow with kites high in the sky, so I tacked around them, went directly to the beach, two tacks at the beach, a good option, rounded in second behind Toni and just had to keep racing hard from there,” Mazella said.
It all sounds so easy, but it was nothing of the sort for Mazella.
“My second, third and fourth races, I wasn’t really happy with my speed or my tactics, I didn’t line up well for the top mark, lots of mistakes. For the last race I tried to switch my mind for a different result. The wind shifted to the left and that opened up the game, there were options both ways on the course and I was second,” he said.
Just as on day one, reigning Youth world champion in the A’s Youth class, Gian Stragiotti (SUI), took three wins from four races. Once again, the only rider to take a win away from the Swiss leader was Jan Koszowski (POL) who continues to hold second overall.
Racing is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 13.00 with the Livestream Broadcast due to commence at 12.30. It’s the final day of fleet racing before Sunday’s finale when the top 10 will go forward to see who emerges victorious in Gizzeria.
KFWS Men’s results:
1 . SLO Toni Vodisek 17p
- CYP Denis Taradin 21p
- ITA Lorenzo Boschetti 26p
KFWS Women’s:
- GBR Ellie Aldridge 18p
- USA Daniela Moroz 23p
- FRA Poema Newland 29p
Full results: https://kitefoilworldseries.com/
A’s YouthFoil
- SUI Gian Andrea Stragiotti 6p
- POL Jan Koswowski 10p
- ITA Leonardo Giovannelli 21p
Full results: https://www.youthfoil.org/
Andy Rice/IKA media
