The heat is on for the Kite Racing Oceanic Championships
Kite Racing Oceanics are on this week in WA.
The worlds best racers have flocked to ‘Windy Always’ (That’s WA for those uninitiated) for one of the biggest kite racing events to hit Australia. After last weeks racing in Melbourne was hampered by variable winds from calm to gale force, racers are keen to get back on the water in the (usually) reliable SW seabreezes offered at Leighton.
Riders from all over the world will be in attendance thanks to the IKA offering up valuable world ranking points for the event, which has also attracted some big name sponsors who’re offering a hefty sum of cash as prizes for both racers and freestyle riders.
Australia’s best hope for a win will be with Marvin Baumeister from In the Loop Kiteboarding in Townsville. He’ll be hard up againsts locals Dale Stanton and Jonno Keys, who train almost every day at the exact location the event is being held. Then of course there’s the hot shots in town like Ricci Lecesse, Torrin Brighton and Florian Gruber, keeping up with those three is going to be a tough task!
Forecast conditions are very favourable so far, with today being the first day of racing in winds from 12-15 knots throughout the day. For the rest of the week conditions look similar, which will be an advantage to the heavier riders who can hold down their boards in the windy and choppy conditions Leighton has to offer.
On Saturday will be the world famous, Lighthouse to Leighton endurance event. This dash from Rottnest Island back to Leighton beach is hotly contested every year and is probably one of the most spectacular starts you’ll ever see.
And 'hotly' for all the wrong reasons this year - forecast temperatures of 38 degrees forecast from Friday all the way through to Monday, are set to put a dampener on any strong seabreezes. (You can see why it's called the fremantle doctor! 38 degress is how hot it gets when there is no cool seabreeze bringing temps down to mid 20's)
Last years winner Jonno Keys did it in 25 minutes and 20 seconds, which is blisteringly fast. He’ll be back this year for a chance to win again, but so will the rest of Australia’s racers!
We’ll bring you all the action from the event when it’s over this weekend. Stay tuned for results, reports and all the action!
Geraldton, WA
