TEAM NEWS: VICE-WORLD CHAMPION IN FORMULA WING FOIL RACING!
Our team rider Francesco Cappuzzo finishes strong in Cagliari!
This weekend marked the end of an intense week of competition in Sardinia, where the world’s best riders gathered for the Formula Wing Foil Racing World Championship. A unique event on the Wing Foil Racing Tour calendar, it showcases the competition format of tomorrow, and perhaps, one day, as part of the Olympic Games. The competition followed a classic structure with long-distance races, qualification heats, Gold Fleet, and finals. However, riders were limited to only two wings and two foils for the entire event.
Wing foiler: Francesco, GONG team rider, on the Racer FSP Pro, Pulse Race, Ypra Race mast, and Ypra Race foil.
Only two wings and two foils
A tough choice for the riders, given the forecast of very changeable conditions, some days very light, others marked by stormy weather. Our team riders Francesco Cappuzzo and Bastien Escofet each chose a Pulse Race 5.5m and 7m to cover the widest range of conditions, along with Ypra Race foils in 540 / 135 and 670 / 150 sizes.
The first day immediately brought surprises on the long-distance courses, even catching out the current champion, Mathis Ghio, who finished 18th in a race marked by gusty, unstable winds. From GONG’s side, Francesco ended the day in 4th place. Bastien had a difficult day that pushed him out of the top 10, but he set the fastest top speed of the fleet on the Pulse Race 5.5 with the Ypra Race 540 - 135 foil. A record he would hold until the end of the championship. Among the women, Charlie Baruzzi stayed in the top 10.
Wing foiler: Bastien, GONG team rider, on the Racer FSP Pro, Pulse Race, Ypra Race mast, and Ypra Race foil.
Francesco climbs to second place!
As conditions continued to vary from under 10 knots to over 20 knots in the following days, Francesco gained ground on his rivals with numerous heat victories in the qualifiers. Fast in all conditions, the Italian secured his place in the final behind Mathis Ghio, who regained favorite status after a shaky start to the competition.
Also worth noting was Bastien’s comeback, as he had qualified for the quarterfinals on the last day. Unfortunately, this phase was canceled due to lack of time and suitable conditions to complete the event. Any chance of a late comeback disappeared, and the title came down to those who had qualified directly for the final.
In ultra-light conditions, the leaders, Mathis Ghio among the men and Maddalena Spanu among the women, managed to hold their leads. They claimed the first-ever Formula Wing titles and earned valuable points in the Wing Foil Racing Championship. The stakes were especially high, with 400 points awarded to the winner.
With his runner-up title, Francesco strengthened his third-place standing in the overall championship ahead of the decisive event in Brazil at the end of the year.
Wing foiler: Francesco, GONG team rider.
Wing Pulse Race Aramid CZ
Foil Ypra Race V3 - Carbon HM 112
Foil Front Wing Ypra Race V3
Foil Stab Ypra Race V3
Foil Mast Ypra Race 112
