Day 3 of the King Of The Wind event in Weymouth went off. Read on for the full report…
Already named Big Monday on the schedule, expectations were high, and the day certainly delivered.
Not just big in action but also in names turning up to show their support for the event. Nick Dempsey, Olympic bronze medallist and Ross Williams, Formula World Champion and number one UK rider on the PWA World Tour both in waves and slalom, found themselves watching on as spotlights lit up the bay during the night tow-in super session supported by Red Bull.
With a 9am skippers meeting the day got off to a prompt start. Unusual north-easterlies filled the harbour but provided some nice small ramps for the competitors to launch off of as they spun through their heats. Rick Jendrusch showed one of the most impressive performances as he fought his way back through a number of heats and dispatched of some world class talent on the way. In one heat he managed to land over 15 moves in the 7 minute time frame and sail in with dry hair. Taking home a well deserved fourth place, Jendrusch found his form in this competition and will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the next years.
Despite this it was Davy Scheffers who really stole the limelight during the day time as he not only secured the win for 2012 Centaur King of the Wind but also the title for the 2012 European Freestyle Pro Tour. A double win for the new European Freestyle Champion within the shores of Weymouth where the Olympic Games saw so many other champions crowned there this summer.
The legacy continues!
And so it did, right on into the night. The competitors relocated to the Weymouth Town beach for a tow-in show to remember. As fireworks were ablaze and a bonfire roared over 15,000 spectators filled the beach that evening. Perfectly timed, the finest European freestylers hit the water as the masses arrived, by the final runs the town was watching on as Austrian tow-in weapon Max Mattisek launched into an explosive and perfect double funnel diablo to take first place and a large chunk of the prize money that was up for grabs. Matissek also shone this week as he made his way into the top 10 for the event and finished 7th in the final EFPT rankings.
A special mention to Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers who re-instated himself as the UK freestyle champion just over two weeks ago. He found himself standing in second place on the podium after landing a clean, ankle dry culo in the shallow Atlantic waters. Right in front of the judges, they were suitably impressed to award him the position and he too went home with a healthy chunk of the prize money.
On into the night.
For the competitors and fans of windsurfing, Globalshots laid on a party to remember in the Lazy Lizard. Covered in fluro paint and wrapped to the hilt in glow sticks everyone came together and celebrated not just their results but an epic finale to the tour. Check out plenty more photos from the night and the entire day on facebook.com/globalshots
Pics courtesy Globalshots
