Défi Wind 2023
A black Tramontana welcomed the racers on day 3 of the Défi WIND, which means the trend of breeze is easing down, but there was plenty of gasoline left to run race nº4. In lighter wind, the young sailor from the Netherlands Sara Wennekes (Future Fly Boards / Severne Sails) and the strong Danish Johan Soe (FMX Racing / Point-7) decided to step on the throttle to claim victory, whilst halting the total dominance of the French fleet so far.
If it Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix it!
We don’t change a concept that works: race 4 followed the same successful format as the previous races, 2 laps of 10km reaches, a rabbit start and more than a thousand contestants on the line. 18-25 knots of the local “trade wind” powered the racers for the most intense and aggressive start ever on any of the Défi’s run so far around the globe. Appetite for victory was clear in the top ranked racer’s eyes as much as it was on amateur’s, who wanted to finish before their friends. Let’s put it this way, for most of the riders, common sense was lost as they prepared to cross the wake of the rabbit boat!
Every specialist was expecting to see Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui), event leader and current world Nº1, to be first lady to cross the finish line, but Dutch Sara Wennekes decided otherwise by claiming victory and a brilliant 47th place overall. That sterling achievement puts Wennekes on top of the leader board of the women’s division.
On the men’s side, a similar scenario was drawn. At the start of the day, Nicolas Goyard (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) held a perfect clean sheet, 3 bullets out of 3 races. The New Caledonian took race 4 under control from the start, but somehow, a young boy, 19-years-old, chose to disturb Nico’s supremacy. A black sail was seen in the lead halfway through the course: Johan Soe took command of race 4 by grabbing the bull by the horns, knowing that Goyard was on his tail for the remaining 20km. The French racer accelerated in the last hundred metres of an epic battle, close to a top speed of 35 knots, only to fall 2 boards length short of Soe. What a fantastic finish of an enthralling long distance it was! Goyard discards a second place to confirm his event lead with an incredible record of 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, while Soe confirmed again that he is one of the fastest sailors on the foil, currently sitting 2nd overall.
Men's Current Results 2023 Défi Wind
1st Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
2nd Johan Soe (DEN | FMX Racing / Point-7)
3rd Thomas Goyard (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
4th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils)
5th William Huppert (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
6th Enrico Marotti (CRO | JP / NeilPryde) Bruno Martini
7th Bruno Martini (ITA | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly Boards / Severne Sails)
9th Antoine Albeau (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
10th Nicolas Warembourg (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
Women's Current Results 2023 Défi Wind
1st Sara Wennekes (NED | Future Fly Boards / Severne Sails)
2nd Justine Lemeteyer (FRA |FMX Racing / S2Maui / LokeFoils)
3rd Delphine Cousin Questel (FRA | FMX Racing / S2Maui)
4th Blanca Alabau (ESP | Starboard / Severne Sails) Marion Couturier
5th Marion Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Phantom Foils)
6th Marion Couturier (FRA | Starboard / Severne Sails)
7th Alice Read (GBR | Fanatic / Duotone)
8th Jenna Gibson (GBR | Fanatic / Duotone)
9th Ambre Papazian (FRA | Starboard / Severne Sails)
10th Femke Van Der Veen (NED | Starboard / Severne Sails)