2022 Défi Wind
Just like Formula 1 driver Verstappen on the grid, Défi WIND 2022 started with hot spinning wheels on green light for the first day of racing. The magical pro-am long distance race gathering more than 1200 furious racers on the same starting line, in 35+ knots of Tramontana, in Gruissan, south of France, is ON! And when the conditions are tough, two names stand out: Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) and Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)!
As soon as registration was closed, the briefing was held in sunny but stormy weather, and you could already see excitement in the participant’s eyes, and a good dose of fear too. The 2022 Defi in association with the PWA mixes all kind of levels, from top slalom athletes to standard recreational sailors. World Champions such as Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails), the Mortefon's , Pierre (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) & Marion, Delphine Cousin Questel (FMX Racing / S2Maui), Albeau or Nicolas Goyard (Phantom / Phantom Sails) are the top names on the bookmaker’s list. Local rider Nicolas Warembourg (Patrik / Patrik Sails), titleholder of the last XXL edition is also in contention for another victory, but a couple of underdogs can be expected to disturb the world hierarchy. Just for the fun of it, Thomas Traversa (Tabou / Gaastra), 2014 wave world champion, is on the starting list with his speed gun and a 4.0. Will he beat 5x wave world champion Philip Köster (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project), twice his size? Can the 13-year-old Camille Moulin cover the 35km distance? Will Alex Decian, 74, from Tahiti, finish his race in gusts up to 40 knots? Also taking part to the Defi, two time Olympic champion Ester Ledecká (snowboard & skis), from Czech Republic, will try to push even further her boundaries, this time windsurfing.
Rough it was! With dead offshore wind, its seemed flat from the shore, but on the course, it looked like a battle field. Mean, heavy chop and powerful wind fuelled the racers to the max on small slalom gear for the experts (5m2) or on tiny wave sails for the amateurs. Conditions were so defying that 200 wise competitors chose to stay safe on the beach. On the run, it was a battle toward the elements. The 150 members of the rescue team were on heavy duties during the course of the next 3 hours. At the end of a demanding combat, only 678 competitors finished the race.
Albeau showed no signs of nerves when approaching mark number 1 in third after a 9km reach. The French machine gybed tight inside of Bruno Martini (JP / NeilPryde) and Mortefon to take the lead. With raging wind above 35 knots, foilers had no chance. 22nd place finisher Nicolas Goyard couldn’t cope with the pace of the leaders on fins. After 33 minutes of fierce racing, the top 3 racers, Albeau, Mortefon and Warembourg, crossed the finish line with just 10 meters separating all of them. Race 1 victory goes in the pocket of Antoine Albeau, solid as a rock when conditions are hard. Warembourg holds on to 2nd ahead of Mortefon. On the ladies side, another close battle was on display. Marion Mortefon managed to keep Delphine Cousin Questel in a short distance, with Femke Van Der Veen (AV Boards / Point-7) in third (84th, 90th and 96th overall). Behind, it’s a real struggle for the amateurs to stay on-board. Many gave up, others finished in pain, but all shared a large smile, proud to have tried to challenge Madam Tramontana.
Antoine Albeau, 49, who reached a top speed of 34.88 knots during the race, summed his victory saying: “I never thought I would be able to still win a race when I see the new generation training so much. On top of that, I only just unwrapped my new gear 2 days ago. Everything was brand new, beside my boom! I can’t believe I can still play at the top level”.
3 more days of exciting racing are scheduled with a Tramontana slowly easing down to the 20-25 knots range, leaving a chance for the foilers to come back into the game. Follow Defi Wind until Sunday May 29th.
Current Ranking 2022 Le Défi Wind - Men’s
*After 1 Race
1st Antoine Albeau (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
2nd Nicolas Warembourg (FRA | Patrik Boards / Patrik Sails)
3rd Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / LOKEFOIL)
4th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)
5th Cedric Bordes (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
6th Jordy Vonk (NED | Fanatic / Duotone)
7th Basil Jacquin (FRA | FMX Racing / Point-7)
8th Johan Soe (DEN | FMX Racing / Point-7)
9th Ingmar Daldorf (NED | Tabou / GA Sails)
10th Malte Reuscher (ITA | Tabou / GA Sails)
Current Ranking 2022 Le Défi Wind - Women’s
*After 1 Race
1st Marion Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
2nd Delphine Cousin (FRA | FMX Racing / S2Maui)
3rd Femke van der Veen (NED | AV Boards / Point-7)
Full ranking can be found here.