Fifteen national champion teams will compete in the landmark World Final of Red Bull Foiling Generation in Newport, USA on 21-23 October 2016. The innovative competition for talented sailors aged 16-20 is the brainchild of double Olympic champions Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher.
NEWPORT, RI, USA (16 October 2016) – After a dramatic weekend of sailing in Newport on the USA’s East Coast, Quinn Wilson and Riley Gibbs were crowned the first US National Champions for the innovative new Red Bull Foiling Generation program that seeks to find the world’s most talented young sailors. On 21-23 October 2016, the Americans will join 14 other national champion teams from around the globe for the first-ever Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final, also to be held in Newport.
Developed by sports directors Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher – two-time Olympic gold medalists from Austria – Red Bull Foiling Generation gives wings to talented sailors aged 16-20 by introducing them to the type of cutting-edge foiling technology used in the America’s Cup. The two-person teams, which include young women as well as young men, race the innovative Flying Phantom, a spectacular multihull catamaran capable of reaching speeds up to 35 knots (nearly 40 mph). Since kicking off in 2015, Red Bull Foiling Generation has crowned champions in Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, France, New Zealand, Turkey, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, and now the United States.
“We want to give top young sailors the tools to follow a unique career path, getting their start on foiling catamarans in Red Bull Foiling Generation and potentially moving on to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup and eventually perhaps America’s Cup itself,” says Steinacher, who with Hagara has personally coached the participants at each national stop.
If the US National race was any indication, the World Final location in Newport will bring out the best in the young athletes, with the unpredictable conditions and stiff winds of New England in autumn that can lift the boats onto their foils for blistering speed. To outmaneuver their peers, each team will need to combine everything they’ve learned about foiling technology with focused strength, stamina and strategy.
“Those who want to excel in the Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final must be extremely well prepared, technically and physically, and Quinn and Riley have proved themselves to be great sailors with bright futures,” said Hagara, who is also skipper of the Red Bull Sailing Team in the Extreme Sailing Series. “The future of sailing definitely belongs to foiling, and we want to give all these ambitious up-and-coming athletes in the World Final a chance to showcase their skills.”
The Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final sets sail at the seaside location of Fort Adams State Park on Newport Harbor on 21-23 October 2016. The park is home to many sailing events and regattas because of its natural amphitheater on Narragansett Bay and legendary sailing waters. Red Bull Foiling Generation is working in partnership with US Sailing and the non-profit Sail Newport, New England’s premiere public sailing center, which will host both events.
Technical data for Flying Phantom:
The Flying Phantom earns raves as the future of sailing because unlike other small boats, it uses hydrofoil technology to lift completely out of the water. The cutting-edge system allows it to hit blistering speeds of up to 35 knots – almost 40 mph – making it by far the quickest sailing boat of its size in the world.
Length: 5,52m (18ft), width: 3,00m, weight: 155kg, mast height: 9,6m, mainsail: 18sqm, Jib: 5,5sqm, Gennaker: 24sqm, crew: 2
About Red Bull Foiling Generation
Now in its second season, Red Bull Foiling Generation sees Flying Phantom catamarans lift over the water at up to 35 knots in a novel new format. Sailors aged 16-20 compete in a series of heats on four identical boats of distinct colors until the final race determines the team that will represent its country in the World Final. The biggest youth sailing program on the planet, in 2016 Red Bull Foiling Generation held regattas in eight countries to give more talented sailors the opportunity to qualify for the World Final in Newport, USA in October.
Images for editorial use only.
Information, videos, images: www.redbullsailingnewsroom.com
Contact: Mario Schoby / +436646385997 / mario.schoby@redbullextremesailing.com
More information on the US Qualifier, please visit: foilinggeneration.redbull.com and for images/video, please visit www.redbullsailingnewsroom.com
Also, stay tuned to www.facebook.com/redbullfoilinggeneration for content and updates.
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