2014 Kiteboard North American Championship held off Coronado shore

This year’s Formula and Foil Class Kiteboard racing North American Championships were held from the 7th to the 10th on the beaches of Coronado Shores. Organized and put on by the San Diego Yacht Club of America’s Cup fame, the event draws almost all of the most outstanding competitors in the sport each year. The “Coronado Roads” area was the actual site of the races.

The kite competition features two different kinds, or classes, of kiteboards: foil and formula. The foil style is newer and can be distinguished by the foil of the kiteboard lacing through the water with very little spray. Speeds of around 25 knots are normal for the foil boards. The formula class have much deeper fins and have been the most popular form of kiteboards until the advent of foils.

Each day, the kiteboarders each raced from three to six times, depending on the wind. Friday the 10th was the last day of the championship event, culminating in the awarding of the trophies. While these were the North American Championships, the top prizes went to European kiteboarders. French racer Julien Kerneur and British boarder Oliver Bridge led throughout, with Bridge winning first place in the formula class and Kerneur getting the gold in the foil class.

The French boarder closed eleven points ahead of second-place winner Nico Landauer. In a show of their athleticism and versatility, Bridge won third place in the foil class, while Kerneur grabbed second in the formula.The top ten in each class and their home country:

Formula (board) class:

1. Oliver Bridge – United Kingdom
2. Julien Kerneur  – France
3. Nico Landauer  – United States
4. Ty Reed  – United States
5. Peter Martel  – Canada
6. Catherine Dufour  – Canada
7. Denis Taradin  – Russia
8. Nick Levi – United States
9. Amil Kabil  – United States
10. Eugenia Gueorguieva – United States

Foil class:

1. Julien Kerneur – France
2. Nico Landauer – United States
3. Oliver Bridge – United Kingdom
4. Joey Pasquali  – United States
5. Bryan Lake  – United States
6. Leif Given  – United States
7. Ty Reed – United States
8. Chip Wasson – United States
9. Ariel Poler  – United States
10. Nick Levi – United States