PWA Fuerteventura Tag 6
Survival of the fittest – Slalom mit über 40 Knoten Wind
Heute war der erste Tag für die Slalom-Racer beim diesjähringen Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam. Nach 5 Tagen Freestyle gab es heute einen spektakulären Beginn der Slalomrennen. Bei Wind von über 40 Knoten wurde das Können der Racer heftig auf die Probe gestellt. Zeitweise war der Wind so stark, dass das Überleben primäres Ziel wurde und es gab einige massive Wipeouts auch mit einigen prominenten Opfern. Am Ende des ersten Tages führt Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) nach einem ersten und zweiten Platz in den beiden heutigen Eliminations. Extrem spannend gestern der Finallauf der ersten Elimination – Matteo Iachino und Antoine Albeau Kopf an Kopf auf dem letzten Schlag – Matteo gewann das Rennen. Wer Zeit und Gelegenheit hat, sollte sich unbedingt die Rennen im Live Stream der PWA anschauen. Men’s Slalom Elimination One Winners’ Final The opening winners’ final saw one of the closest finishes in PWA history as Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7) pipped Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) to the first bullet of the week in an exhilarating finish, which saw the two heavy weights flying down the final reach at mac ten. Albeau looked to be in control, but Iachino turned on the afterburners to steal the victory from the claws of the reigning world champion. Meanwhile, Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails), made a fine start to the event as he secured third place ahead of teammate Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses). Enes Yilmazer (Starboard / Severne), Ingmar Daldorf (Patrik / Loft Sails), James Dinsmore (Starboard / Severne) and Massimo Colombi (Starboard / Maui Sails) all received byes into the second round after Bruno Martini (Starboard / Severne / AL360), Nik van den Eerenbeemt (JP / NeilPryde) and Diony Guadagnino (AHD / Loft Sails) all jumped the gun resulting in disqualification. Elimination Two Winners’ Final Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne) led for the majority of the second winners’ final, but was denied victory by Antoine Albeau, who struck late to overtake at the final mark ensuring that he leads the event at the end of the first day of racing. Moussilmani finished in second place ahead of Ross Williams and Cedric Bordes and he holds second place in the current event rankings, while Bordes and Williams are currently tied for third. After making a flying start to the event Matteo Iachino suffered an early exit in the second elimination as he was knocked out in Heat 12, which saw the Italian go from leading the event to dropping to 12th but he will be hoping to discard that result after the fourth race. Elsewhere, Andrea Ferin (RRD / Challenger Sails / AL360), enjoyed a fine second elimination as he qualified for the semifinals. Unfortunately the Italian then jumped the gun in Heat 13, but secured 13th place to bounce back from a second round exit in the opening race. Current world tour leader — Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails) — currently sits in 6th place after 9th and 5th place finishes today and you would expect to see him charging for the top tomorrow as he looks to continue to set the pace in this year’s title race. The forecast for tomorrow looks even windier, which should guarantee plenty of adrenaline fuelled slalom and whether anyone can tame Fuerteventura’s fierce winds will remain to be seen. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow the racing live. To see all the latest from the event — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Here’s a recap from the preview of some of the top contenders to look out for over the next five days. Current Ranking Men’s Slalom — Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam 1st Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) 2nd Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne 3rd Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) 3rd Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) 5th Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) 6th Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails) 7th Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde) 8th Tristan Algret (Starboard / Severne) 9th Finian Maynard (99NoveNove / Gun Sails) 10th Nicolas Warembourg (JP / NeilPryde / Mystic)