WINDSURFING ERA PWA FORMULA RACING WORLD CUP, DAY 2
Despite a day of domination from Aussie sailor Steve Allen (Fanatic),
Wojtek Brzozowski (Starboard, Neil Pryde) is still holding pole position
here at the Windsurfing ERA PWA Formula Racing World Cup. Allen took four
straight bullets in the four races this afternoon and rarely looked under
any major threat from the rest of the fleet. The Australian race
specialists superb performance has moved him up into second position
overall behind Brzozowski whilst Micah Buzianis (Drops, North) of America
has also moved up in the rankings into third. In the women s racing,
Dorota Staszewska (Starboard, Neil Pryde) added a further three victories
to her tally much to the delight of the Polish crowds. Staszewska, the
women s world champion now stands in an extremely commanding position
having won six out of the seven races.
Today s conditions were lighter than yesterday and racing was held in
winds blowing between 8 and 10 knots. In the first race Steve Allen
immediately took control and stormed ahead of the fleet ahead of Micah
Buzianis and Pieter Bijl (Neil Pryde) of Holland. Using the same uphaul,
upwind technique as Antoine Albeau, Allen hit the upwind mark well ahead
of the pack. He remained in the lead for the rest of the race and made it
to the finish line with a comfortable margin.
In race two, Brian Rogild (Starboard, Gaastra) of Denmark was in the lead
at the windward mark. Rogild’s lead did not last for long however after
Allen screamed past with superior speed on the downwind leg. The battle
continued after Rogild gained ground on the second upwind lap but Allen
hung onto his lead and pulled away again on the downwind run. Kevin
Pritchard (Gaastra, Bic) of America was hot on their heals around the
course and took third just ahead of Jarek Miarczynnski (Starboard, Neil
Pryde) of Poland.
Allen continued to stamp his authority in the remaining races much to the
delight of his wife back on the beach. With the Aussie dictating the pace
at the front of the field it was soon becoming apparent that the battle
for the rest of the fleet was all about who could take second place. In
race three, Ross Williams (Gaastra, AHD) of England was the man on form
although he was under threat for much of the race following another strong
challenge from Dutch sailor Pieter Bijl.
STEVE ALLEN (Fanatic)
I m loving it out there today! You can t complain with four bullets. The
wind has been kind of on the limit but on my 12.5m I have had good power
the whole race. A lot of guys seem to prefer their 11m sails and have not
been able to tune their 12m s in so they are struggling a little bit
The final race saw Brian Rogild once again take the runner up placing with
Micah Buzianis of also posting another excellent performance to take
third. Buzianis has now moved up into the podium places at the expense of
Kevin Pritchard who has dropped down to fourth overall.
MICAH BUZIANIS (North Sails)
It has been a pretty good day. The racing was tough with the light winds.
I had good starts so I was lucky to be in there in most of the races. I
shot up a little bit in the results but anything can happen over fifteen
races. There can be light winds, strong winds and anybody can screw up
Wojtek Brzozowski was struggling with the light winds today and posted a
9th, 5th, 4th, and 29th. With one discard now counting he remains in the
lead narrowly ahead of Steve Allen. With Allen on fire in the light winds,
Brzozowski will no doubt be praying that the wind picks up tomorrow.
In the women s racing Dorota Staszewska (Starboard, Neil Pryde) continued
her winning ways taking three victories out of the four races. A rare
mistake in race four from Dorota meant a disqualification although she was
able to discard the race from her overall results. Lucy Horwood (Gaastra,
AHD) of England is still holding on to second overall after posting a 3rd,
2nd, 2nd and 2nd during today s races. Verena Fauster (Starboard, Gaastra)
of Italy remains in third although Margit Germany (Starboard, Neil Pryde)
of Austria is steadily closing the gap back in fourth.
DOROTA STASZEWSKA (Starboard/Neil Pryde)
The wind was light but I was doing surprisingly good in those conditions.
I don t like light winds normally. Lucy Horwood can kick my ass if the
wind gets strong so it is good for me to get some good results under my
belt. I am very happy with my speed, I feel very comfortable. It is
fantastic to win here in front of my home crowds. The people here really
believe in me and believe in Wojtek. I think winning is the best gift I
can give back to them. They will remember this event for a long time. I
think this is really good for me and good for windsurfing in Poland!