Kevin Langeree has been called the competition machine, but has never lost sight of what kitesurfing is all about.
Check out Kevin “training” in the off-season…
Directed by: Anders Kruger
Soundtrack: Revelation Dub by Kabanjak
http://vimeo.com/35157597Kevin Langeree
West Australians stole the show at today’s 19km
Red Bull Lighthouse to Leighton event, Australia’s longest kitesurfing race,
cheered in by a 700-strong crowd.
In light wind conditions at around 16kn and choppy seas, 100 kitesurfers took
off from Rottnest Island, crossing Gage Roads to Leighton Beach Fremantle. Dale
Stanton was the victor with a time of 28 minutes 45 seconds. There was
controversy at the start with ten competitors false starting, leaving the race
wide open.
30-year-old Stanton from Palmyra said it was a tough race, made more
interesting by the tricky light wind start and an ankle injury earlier in the
year.
“A bunch of guys started when the yellow flag went down but they were supposed
to start on the green,” Stanton said.
“Half way through I was exhausted and didn’t think I could hang in, I stacked
it half way through but I bounced straight back up and went with the speed of
the board.”
In second place was Alex Genz from Shenton Park in WA and in third was
Duncraig’s Marty Farrow who also placed third at last year’s race.
Event Director Tim Turner said it was an awesome race.
“It was a fantastic day with solid 16kn the whole way. The race was made
more interesting with the false starts and some competitors going up a minute
early, but the rules are simple and we used world-standard rules.
“100 competitors is the perfect number for the race and we’ll do the same next
year and have the potential for national teams. Record holder and last
year’s winner Alex Caizergues plans on coming back in 2012 to defend his title.
Fastest woman across the line was Keira Macfarlane from Scarborough in a time
of 34 minutes 12 seconds.
“It felt slower than last year with less wind and sloppy conditions.
I used a surfboard this year instead of a twintip, which made it
harder than last years. I ran out of power a bit in the middle of the
race but I new I just had to hold my ground,” Macfarlane said.
Competitors were vying for more than $4000 in prizemoney and a crowd of
approximately 700 gathered at the beach to cheer them in.
The event is made possible through assistance from Western Australian Kite
Surfing Association (WAKSA), Rottnest Express, Kite Addiction, Cabrinha Kites,
and a three-year Experience Extraordinary sponsorship from the Western
Australian Government through Eventscorp.
For more information visit www.lighthouse2leighton.com.au.
“Naish teamrider Ewan Jaspan has been compiling his footage and has put together this great clip of what has been an awesome summer for St. Kilda local. The video is entered in the amateur division of the ‘riders match online world contest’ and needs your votes to send him to the top. Registration only takes a minute and there is an option to opt out of any further information from riders match. If you like the video and want to support an up and coming Australian talent get registered and vote.”
This is what kiteboarding needs in Australia -- imagine the possibilites. The guys at Core Online have been busy with their slider jams and it is great to see the results they are getting. Is this the next level though -- could it be organised in OZ? The lakes around Gosford and Newcastle would be prime for this sort of setup. The predominant wind occurring during the winter months it would be a great distraction from sitting on the couch eating tim tams and quaffing coffee. Andre Phillip made this comment when I interviewed him recently ” Obstacle riding also has a lot of room for improvement. 4 years ago there were barely any obstacles anywhere in the world and now there are obstacles popping up everywhere!!”
Red Bull do you hear me calling?
Jordy Smith might not be winning world titles just yet but he proved he is worthy of all the hype with this flip that was filmed on a recent Red Bull trip. I had to post this on the site as it shows what is possible in a sport that has been around for 50 years. What does the future hold for kiteboarding both in the waves and on the flats?
