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Windsurfing has been an Olympic sport since the LA
games in 1984 when Stephan Van Den Bergh won the Gold medal on a Windglider.
At that time the participants were not allowed to use a harness or to pump
the rig.
Since then things have changed step by step and Olympic windsurfing is
catching up with the sport of windsurfing.
The current RSX is actually a planing hull and potentially the link to bring
Olympic windsurfing from a Hybrid stage to a fully planing sport.
The technological developments over the years in the
Formula Windsurfing class has reduced the planing threshold, matching
the current 6 knots wind minimum for Olympic windsurfing.
The Formula windsurfing class has been the most popular windsurfing class
over the last 8 years and no events have been cancelled due to lack of wind
since 2001. It was thus with great pleasure Starboard accepted a proposal
from the Formula Windsurfing class to provide a one design package solution
for the Games.
The package includes a state of the art Formula 162 ,
a custom made Deboichet fin and a light and efficient rig, all at a price
which is significantly more cost effective than the current Olympic equipment
We at Starboard see the Techno 293 and the FE class as the feeder classes to
the FOD class.
Our aim is to support exciting growth in the racing segment of windsurfing
through an attractive Olympic class.
We forwarded our submission to ISAF on March 15 this year and a a final decision will be made by ISAF in Nov 08.
Please read on for the full presentation.
Thanks for your support.
Svein Rasmussen
To View/Download the Starboard Olympic Presentation click here http://2008.star-board.com/2008/pages/downloads/star-board-presentation.pps
Equipment proposal:
Board: Starboard Formula 162 litres
Fin: Starboard Formula One Design fin 70cm
Sails: Starboard Formula 11m2 for men, 9.5 m2
for women
Masts: Starboard Blue Line 540cm for men, 490cm for women
Boom: Starboard Blue Line boom 270 for men, 240 for women
Extension/mast base: Starboard Blue Line 35cm Extension
FORMULA WINDSURFING
Why Formula Windsurfing?
•
Formula Windsurfing equipment, over the last eight years, allows
Formula windsurfers to plane and race from 6 knots to 30 knots of wind.
• Formula
represents the modern planing sport of windsurfing as practiced by most
recreational windsurfers all over the World.
• As a
pure planing class, Formula Windsurfing will bring a visually exciting
sailing sport to the Olympics.
• The
Weymouth wind conditions for the Olympic time frame fits
well within the Formula Windsurfing wind range (appendix 3).
• Formula
windsurfing has been the most popular international windsurfing racing class
over the last 8 years
• No
Formula Windsurfing international event has been cancelled since 2001 due to
lack of wind.
Who is supporting Formula
Windsurfing One Design 2012?
• The
International Windsurfing Association, representative of the Windsurfing
Classes
• The
Formula Experience Class
•
Starboard, the number one board brand in the windsurfing industry
What do racers think?
•
They want to see planing windsurfing, the windsurfing that most
windsurfers do themselves, reflected in the Olympics.
• They
want a planing class to make it relevant to all other windsurfing classes.
• They
want an Olympic class that covers a wider group of body weights.
• They
want an Olympic class that is proven to be popular with the media, the
windsurfing public and the general public, to reflect the prestige of the
Olympic Games and their ambition.
What do recreational windsurfers
think?
•
They want to see planing windsurfing in the Olympics, to represent the
windsurfing that they do themselves.
• They
want to see their windsurfing heroes race at the
Olympics and modern windsurfing represented in the media. Over 90% of the
boards sold worldwide the last five years have hulls designed only for
planing. Formula boards are planing hulls.
What does the
media think?
•
Formula Windsurfing is spectacular, fast and involves many of the
best–known athletes in the sport.
• With
Formula Windsurfing, their public will have exciting images of a fast moving
sport.
• With
Formula windsurfing, the opportunity to market a high–performance sport is
greater, with more viewers and more interest.
What does the general public think?
•
Windsurfing is mainly a spectacular planing sport yet the Olympic
representation shows something different.
• Formula
Windsurfing is impressive, delivering such performance in so little winds.
What about current Olympic
Windsurfing racers and coaches?
•
They could adapt to Formula Windsurfing quickly, since the Formula
board’s performance and tactics relate to the RS:X
in 12 knots of wind and up. The main difference is that in Formula
Windsurfing, it kicks off at 6 knots.
• Formula
windsurfing is an opportunity to remove the pumping range of the sport.
What do women racers think?
•
Formula is lighter, simpler and with limited pumping. This makes the
class more adapted to women windsurfers.
• Formula
is less physical with less chances of injury.
• The
planing threshold and performance range is equal to the men’s; training can
be integrated with the men’s.
• A class
more adapted to women will increase the number of women participants which
will expand the appeal of Olympic Windsurfing.
• Formula
equipment is light – completely assembled, it can be carried by women to and
from the water with ease.
What is the difference between the
current board and a Formula board?
• It
is lighter – the current hull, fully equipped, weighs 18.7kg with variations
over 1 kg above the stated weight. The Formula is 10.85 kg fully equipped
with greater weight consistency.
• It is
simple – there are no daggerboards, no gaskets, no
adjustable mast track. It is a simple planing hull. Simple to maintain and
simple also means greater consistency.
Is it expensive?
• No,
Formula Windsurfing One Design is 34.5% cheaper than the current equipment:
• RS:X
package:
3872.80
Euros excluding VAT
• Formula
Windsurfing One Design package: 2537.00
Euros excluding VAT
• Formula
Experience package:
1613.00
Euros excluding VAT
• Refer
to Appendix 4 for pricing details and pricing policy.
•
Transportation is cheaper – the fully loaded board bag weighs 18.9kg,
the fully loaded rig bag weighs 15.86kg. Both weights are well below the
current airline regulation limit.
• Bags
below the limit means that an extra sail or mast can
be included at no extra cost.
How will it be distributed?
•
Formula Windsurfing One Design packages and components are available
through a complete network of distributors and shops in over 70 countries
across six continents.
Is it durable?
•
Formula boards can be raced over three to four years without structural
issues.
• No
daggerboards, no mast tracks, no rubber lips, no stoppers or complex
mechanisms: Formula boards are solid without any moving parts. It is stable,
consistent and reliable.
Is the equipment consistent?
•
Formula Windsurfing has eight years of history with consistent
equipment quality and equality. Without complex parts and moving mechanisms,
the manufacturing process produces consistent results – weight, shape, centre
of gravity, flex have proven to be consistent and equal. Outside the
composite epoxy glass fibre sandwich skin, the Starboard Formula has an added
layer of unidirectional pine wood ensuring that the bottom shape remains
unchanged over time.
• With
Starboard’s headquarters 30 minutes’ drive away from the OEM board
manufacturer, the highest level of external quality control is assured with
more access, more flexibility and quicker response times.
What about youth?
• The
Formula Experience Class offers an affordable feeder path to Formula One
Design. Formula Experience is a recognised ISAF sailing class since 2002.
• The
Formula Windsurfing One Design’s Youth division offers a feeder class on
identical equipment to the Formula Windsurfing One Design with 8.5m2
and 9.5m2 rigs.
Does Formula Windsurfing One Design
fit the wind criteria set by ISAF?
•
Yes, the 6 to 25 knots required by ISAF’s race management policies for
the Olympic sailing competition and ISAF events fits inside the wind range of
Formula Windsurfing One Design.
Does Formula Windsurfing One Design
give advantage to any specific body size?
•
Formula Windsurfing One Design can give an advantage to body sizes
depending on the wind strength.
• For the
men’s division:
• Above
20 knots, a 80 kg sailor may have an advantage.
• Under
10 knots, a 70 kg sailor may have an advantage.
• For the
women’s division:
• Above
20 knots, a 65 kg sailor may have an advantage.
• Under
10 knots, a 55 kg sailor may have an advantage.
What about pumping?
•
There is limited need for pumping in Formula Windsurfing because it is
a planing class.
• Very
limited need for pumping means less physical body problems for the racers and
thus a more popular class.
• Very
limited need for pumping shifts the focus of racing towards tactics, trimming
and sailing technique.In summary:
The current windsurfing Olympic class is considered irrelevant by all but
the racers who have dedicated themselves to Olympic windsurfing.
This chance to choose Formula Windsurfing for 2012 will offer:
• A
spectacular sailing sport that meets the criteria for Type 1 and Type 2
events.
• A
spectacular sailing sport that will excite the windsurfing public, the
general public with increased media appeal.
• A
spectacular sailing sport that will gather unprecedented support and exposure
for windsurfing
• All
this on established equipment that has been raced since 2007 and developed
since 2000.
• Proven
equipment that is simpler, faster, more affordable, more consistent, more
reliable and more exciting.
EQUIPMENT
Is the equipment ready?
•
Yes. Formula boards and sails have been racing since 1999.
• The
board and sails proposed for 2012 Olympics have been raced and available in
shops since 2007.
Why the Starboard Formula 162?
•
The Starboard Formula 162 is currently the World’s
earliest planing board, guaranteeing a visually spectacular sport from 6
knots.
• Since
1999 Starboard has been leading the development of the Formula windsurfing
class through design and quality, resulting in a current 75% market share.
•
Starboard is based 30 minutes from their main production house, Cobra
International, and have 14 years of close working
relationship experience with the manufacturer. This offers unprecedented
ability to control equipment consistency.
• The
Starboard Formula had 18 out of the 20 top places in the ISAF 2007 Formula
Windsurfing World Championships, reflecting the current equipment choice.
Why the Starboard Formula One Design
fin?
• The
Starboard Formula One Design fin is produced by Deboichet.
•
Deboichet fins are overall the most popular, precise and durable fins
since the beginning of the Formula Windsurfing class.
•
Deboichet is currently the most consistent and proven fin producer at
mass–production level, working with the French factory UFO for the Deboichet
production series fins.
Why the Starboard Formula Sail?
• It
is a light 3 cam sail with medium wide luff pocket for less water absorption.
• It can
be trimmed with a deep profile, guaranteeing lightwind performance.
• It is
especially easy to rig and trim, and delivers comfortable high performance
sailing from 6 to 25 knots.
• Its
durable design is manufactured by IK Pacific, a manufacturer well renowned
for reliability and high quality workmanship.
• The
Starboard group is currently selling 10,000 high–end sails a year and has
been delivering sails since 2001, collecting design and manufacturing
experience accordingly.
Why the Starboard Blue Line mast?
• The
75% carbon mast gives excellent performance with proven durability.
• The
mast is produced with Italica in Italy, a high–end mast manufacturer known
for the best quality in the industry.
•
Starboard has a long standing development and business relation with
Italica.
Why the Starboard Blue Line Boom?
• The
Starboard Blue line Alloy boom is a light arm to arm construction (one piece)
providing exceptional strength and stiffness.
• It is
produced by the Taiwanese company Technic Devotion, a long time supply
partner to Starboard.
• Using
smart materials and an innovative design, the price of the Starboard Blue
Line boom is less than half the price of the current Olympic boom.
Proven equipment that is simpler,
faster, more affordable, more consistent, more reliable and more exciting. Formula
Windsurfing One Design 2012
Powerpoint file
http://2008.star-board.com/2008/pages/downloads/star-board-presentation.pps
Formula One Design video clip
http://2008.star-board.com/2008/video/p_olympic.php
Formula One Design (Allison–video
clip)
http://2008.star-board.com/2008/video/p_new_olympic_v2.php
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