No wind on the final day of competition on Silvaplana
Fiona Wylde wins a World Cup at her first attempt
Alessandro Tomasi wins his first World Cup of 2023
Italy and France dominate the men’s top 10

Fiona Wylde (USA) and Alessandro Tomasi (ITA) respectively have become the women’s and men’s champions at Wingfoil Racing World Cup Silvaplana.

With no wind for the final day, the results all hung on the 10 races from the first two days. Tomasi, the 2021 World Champion, earned two crucial wins in the long distance races of the opening day. The dominant performer of the past six months or more has been Mathis Ghio (FRA) who battled hard with Tomasi on that first day but finished runner-up in both long distance heats.

The pump foiling competition was the best way for the riders to work out their frustrations at a lack of wind on day four of the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Silvaplana. Being able to pump the board in light winds is a key racing skill, although the range in abilities across the fleet is enormous. Some look as elegant as a gazelle bounding across the savannah, others are as coordinated as Bambi on ice.

No wind on Lake St Moritz, so a day of pump foiling and balance boards
Balz Mueller shows off his athletic skills and passion for all kinds of foiling
Italian riders ready to take on France’s World Champion Mathis Ghio in gold fleet

There was a change of venue for day three of the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Silvaplana as the fleet drove 6km further up into the mountains to compete on Lake St Moritz. The sunshine was out but the wind never steadied sufficiently for fair racing, so no further results on the board after that mammoth eight-race Wednesday.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 8 races completed in bright sunshine and winds of 13 to 20 knots
• Fiona Wylde (USA) shoots to the top of the women's leaderboard
• Alessandro Tomasi and Mathis Ghio winning their sides of men's qualifying
• 81.5km of distance covered across the 8 races.

A new star rose in the women’s fleet on day two of the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Silvaplana. This is Fiona Wylde’s first World Cup event in IWSA wingfoil racing, so it was understandable that the American rider flew across the Atlantic to the Swiss Alps with few expectations. She just wanted to gauge the competition and to get a measure of how her skills compare with the world’s best.

HIGHLIGHTS

46 wingfoil racers from 12 countries and 5 continents
Shifty, gusty winds of 10 to 20 knots on Silvaplana, 1815 metres above sea level
Alessandro Tomasi wins both long distance races
Maddalena Spanu holds early lead in women’s fleet
 
Two long distance races made for a tough opening day for th riders competing on Lake Silvaplana at the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Ensis Engadinwing by Dakine 2023. In any surroundings the high-speed rabbit start is spectacular. But against the backdrop of the Swiss Alps, you couldn’t ask for a more beautiful way to start a wingfoil race

Wind fails to materialise for final day
Maddalena Spanu wins her first World Cup
World Champion Mathis Ghio continues his winning streak
Final qualifying spots decided for ANOC World Beach Games in Bali

Maddalena Spanu (ITA) and Mathis Ghio (FRA) were crowned champions after the breeze failed to materialise for the final day of the Pascucci WingFoil Racing World Cup Campione del Garda 2023.

One qualifying round completed for the men before the morning wind fades
Group wins for two French and two Italians
Fading breeze results in women’s race being abandoned
Tight qualifying battle for places at ANOC World Beach Games in Bali

Day three of the Pascucci WingFoil Racing World Cup Campione del Garda 2023 saw the 77 riders get up early again to catch the best of the Pelèr morning breeze.

77 riders compete off one moving start line for the long distance race
World Champion Mathis Ghio wins the race
Maddalena Spanu is first woman, while her brother Nicolo is second in the men
A second long distance race is started but later abandoned as wind fails

Day two of the Pascucci WingFoil Racing World Cup Campione del Garda 2023 was one for the Spanu family to remember. With all 77 riders starting from one rabbit start for the 30-minute long distance race, Maddalena Spanu won the women’s fleet and her brother Nicolo was second across the line in the men’s competition.

After a day of very little breeze on Lake Garda, the fleet will have to wait another day to begin the long distance race in the Pascucci WingFoil Racing World Cup Campione del Garda 2023.

The 77 riders woke up not long after dawn to catch the best of the morning breeze from the north of the lake, the Pelèr. This was the breeze that delivered four hours of good winging on the previous morning, but day one of competition was not blessed with the same strength or consistency of wind, neither from the Pelèr or the afternoon Ora.

4 days of long-distance and short-course racing out of Campione Univela on the western shore of Lake Garda
A vital qualifying event for the ANOC World Beach Games in Bali this summer
Open competition with a huge array of different equipment
77 competitors from 20 countries representing 6 continents
Some have come from as far as Venezuela, Thailand and New Zealand

The Pascucci WingFoil Racing World Cup Campione del Garda 2023 is about to begin, with four days of high speed action from 1 to 4 June.