ALL CHANGE
Over the last couple of days the news has finally emerged that Ricardo Campello (Patrik / Point-7) has joined Patrik boards. However, up until now it had remained unclear as to which sail brand Campello would be sailing under for 2014 - after his departure from JP and NeilPryde.
With Patrik and Point-7s leading wave sailor -Adam Lewis (Fanatic / North) - being snapped up by Fanatic and North just before the New Year, a gap emerged for a new leading figure to take control of the reigns, and so we are excited to reveal that Campello will be joining the dark side of windsurfing with the Point-7 crew. Read Patrik's interview below and a statement from Point-7 themselves:
How it all happened?
We are super stoked to have made the move and get Ricardo in our team. It is crazy how quick things can change in life and following how everything happened.
With PATRIK we always aim to have everything under control and be organized in the last detail to avoid any surprises in life and business. Just before Xmas our plans and contracts for 2014 were all finalized, signed and closed and we were looking forward to enjoy a nice holiday over Xmas and New Years Eve.
Well, unfortunately things changed drastically and instead of getting the spirit of the holidays, some flames from hell started burning on our feet and we lost a good rider against a big brand.
So looking around for a replacement destiny crossed the communication between Ricardo and us. Sure not easy to quickly make up some plans and agree to a final deal over this time of the year, but it all came along very nice as both parties were looking for something which we found between each other.
Now we will not lose more time and answer you the recent hot questions we received on our exploding email account the last couple of days - enjoy (-:
Why Ricardo?
PATRIK: "Until today we mainly concentrated on the products but now we run into the fifth year and the next step is to reach the customers who still didn't hear about our unique products and us. Also Ricardo has set himself a big task and our dedication is to offer him our precise work to reach his goal."
Why is the news so late?
PATRIK: "We don't follow a marketing strategy and everything we publish we want it to be approved and correct and after all that just happened before Xmas we definitely won't follow the bad example and keep walking on our truthful path, where customers can rely on true facts. So the last signature was sent out this morning and now everything is set and here with the official press release."
How are the future plans for PATRIK with other big named riders?
PATRIK: "Not sure what the future brings but we definitely aim to step up the ladder or at least stay on the same row. Looking around it seems that so,e of the bigger brands change their marketing strategy and invest more in young and new riders, and maybe those are opportunities to get some other big names in our team, but we will see by the end of this year."
Are you going to make quads for Ricardo?
PATRIK: "Ricardo is a top 5 world class sailor and his quiver exceeds by far the normal use of wave boards. At least 4 different volumes of each side and onshore shapes, plus some more spare boards in case he ends up on the rocks or lands a triple forward attempt flat is his standard quiver to travel. To please him and make the world top 5 ranking possible he needs to use any fin setup he likes and I am happy to shape him whatever he wants and I look forward to see what comes out after the first tests."
Why don't you have quads in your range?
PATRIK: "After all the we made the result is that quads have a very small range of use and to please customers who use the board in different conditions, and who don't want to travel with more than a set of 3x different volumes, we offer our Trailer Wave with 3x US boxes. It is the only convertible setup to be able and use as Trailer, Twinser, Thruster, and Single-fin position, with the possibility to even slide and adjust the best trim. This fin system we offer in two different volumes and we believe that this is plenty to choose, and if someone still wants to have a Quad for his local spot we can make them a personal custom made board suited to his weight and style. "
Interview with Ricardo Campello:
Why PATRIK?
RC: "It is a brand that is growing fast, I know Patrik is an amazing shaper and he can do pretty much everything I want, together we will develop the best windsurfing boards I ever had."
What are you expecting/hoping to get from this much younger and smaller board brand?
RC: "I want to be involved in everything I can - especially developing boards with Patrik. I am also going to be the main rider for waves and not going to vibe one of many great sailors on the team and for me this is a big push! Changing my whole equipment will be a totally new adventure for me as I have been sailing with JP/ NeilPryde for the past 14 years and I already feel that this change is motivating me a lot!"
How does it feel to be in a team where the owners are still active and will probably be at the same beach where you have to compete?
RC: "I think it is great! because they are not just "The Boss" like my old sponsors. They know what a rider goes through all year long and what he needs, as it is not just always possible to go out and win! Plus it is also nice to have someone who wants you to win to caddie for you at the beach!"
What are your goals for 2014?
RC: "Become PWA Wave World Champion!"
How about goals for the future?
RC: "Hopefully to be top 3 in the wave rankings as much as I can, then I don't know!? Better to live day-by-day."
Which are your favourite conditions and which spot?
RC: "Side-offshore and starboard tack. Just like Ponta Preta in Cabo Verde."
More than 10 years on the PWA World Tour is a very long and for sure exhausting time, how do you keep the motivation so high?
RC: "To be honest the past years I have been very exhausted and I almost liked to do something else, but with the new change of sponsor I am more motivated than ever to go and do my best. I also hope this will help me to do better results and hopefully achieve my dream goal."
We have seen you compete at the top level in at least 2 disciplines, but you also excelled at Super-X and do some slalom racing in your time back home - apart from surfing, kiting, wakeboarding etc. All just for fun or part of the success?
RC: "I think it is great to do as much as you can - especially related sports like kite, surfing etc. in a way or another freestyle definitely helps a lot on the wave side."
Words to live by?
RC: "Sail fast and live slow as you only live once?"
BLACK TEAM
A winner is simply a dreamer who never gives up. Point-7 was nothing more than a dream 6 years ago. Already by 2012 the brand was having top 10 results in all disciplines. By the end of 2013 Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Point-7) was crowned Vice World Champion in slalom greatly assisted to reach this goal with the support of the Black Team created that very same year. Dreams are what push Point-7 forward together with an undying passion for the sport of Windsurfing. If there is a morning that we wake up without a dream in our minds, it means that we are still sleeping. Ricardo is our new dream! The dream to see him developing wave sails with us, the desire to have one of the most talented windsurfers that the world knows on the Black team! Give him Hawai'i, give him the Canary Islands, give him North Europe and he knows how to do it. We are proud to officially announce Ricardo Campello has joined our Point-7 Black Team. Ricardo being 28 years old is now in the best age where experience meets talent. We believe in him and we know that a personality like his needs to be out there promoting our sport, passion and lifestyle. Read the full interview with Andrea Cucchi (Starboard / Point-7) and Ricardo Campello on www.Point-7.com.