The IKA Kite Foil Gold Cup - Four Countries & Three Continents
Hydrofoiling Kiteboards will be on display at the world's premier sailing destinations beginning in March 2015. Marking the second year of hydrofoiling proliferance, kiteboard racing has gained popularity with a variety of athletes. Sailboat racers, trick riders, and speed demons have gravitated toward this fleet due to its raw performance and good-natured competition. The 2015 tour will be comprised of four stops including Mexico, USA, Australia, and a European event to be announced shortly. The planet's best competitors will vie for the title of KiteFoil Gold Cup champion, a title won by Johnny Heineken on the inaugural tour in 2014.
With over seventy riders from nineteen countries, last year's tour was highly contested as a different sailor won each of the three tour stops. Rapid development of equipment and athleticism have enabled these sailors to perform at speeds which rival the finest America's Cup sailing yachts. Californian sailor Joey Pasquali has been training against Oracle's turbo foiling AC45 in San Francisco Bay and reports, "We're (foilboards) a touch faster up the track and they're (AC45 Turbo) a touch faster off the breeze." The 2015 KiteFoil Gold Cup tour will certainly be one to watch as these sailors push the envelope of performance on this modest platform.
The world's best athletes from a wide variety of sports showcase windsurfing in powder snow, together with speed riding, snowboarding and snowkiting. It is a fascinating combination of a great variety of sports in the snow. The project is very unique in the world and embodies a combination of…
The tour is run under the guidance of the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) and Technical Director Robbie Dean. IKA has partnered with Playa Central Beach Club, St. Francis Yacht Club, and Townsville Sailing Club to provide the backbone for each of the events. A French tour stop had originally been in the planning but unfortunate circumstances inside the French federations prohibited a tour stop in the motherland of hydrofoing kiteboards.
Australia, Townsville
The IKA Kite Foil Gold Cup 2015 Schedule:
March 24 - 28: Mexico, La Ventana
European location and date yet to be announced
July 30 - August 2: USA, San Francisco
October 8 - 13: Australia, Townsville
Stay tuned as these sailors hoot and howl their way around the course... on one of the fastest wind powered watercrafts in the world.
An interesting story about professional snowkiter Valere Bouchaud popped up in our mail earlier this week and we are stoked to share this with all you snowkite maniacs out there. A trip to a foreign country is always an adventure and earlier this year, Valera together with a group of fellow riders,…
5x World Champion Aaron Hadlow and 9x World Champion Gisela Pulido put on performances that were nothing short of exceptional during the St.Peter Ording freestyle finals that took place yesterday in Germany. Fighting their way up the freestyle ladder, they faced each opponent with outstanding…
