Kite: The start of the ENGIE Kite Tour Grand Final in Frejus

The fourth and final stage of the ENGIE Kite Tour 2023 got underway on Friday afternoon at Fréjus Nature Base, where 88 kitesurfers and kiteboarders met in the grand finale of the circuit. .

On the menu for the day: Four races (three races) in Kitefoil, Twin-Tip, Direction Board and Wingfoil in 20 knots of westerly wind with gusts up to 25 knots. On the ground, 250 square meters of school children in the city of Fréjus participated in educational workshops on the topic of energy and waste collection. They were also able to interact with the ENGIE Kite Tour ambassadors.

“The first day was beautiful, and the wind was more than expected. The fleet is large, with riders aged from 11 to 64 from all backgrounds, including the 10% foreigners who are currently training in Hyères and have come. We feel that the Olympics in Paris 2024 is approaching! “We also have a large sailing fleet, with 29 registered ships,” says François Beauvais, coordinator of sailboard activity at the French Sailing Federation (FFVoile). “We should have fairly strong onshore winds at the end of this week. “We will be able to run without any problem on Saturday and Sunday,” François Beauvais continued. Among those registered: Aaron Jardinier Rousseau, the youngest in the fleet, who can’t wait to get into battle tomorrow. “I couldn’t run today. It was frustrating and exhausting but I had a 3m sail. I had to get a smaller one because it was too windy for me. I can’t wait for tomorrow. I’m on target,” he explains.

Winner of all of today’s races (to the jury), New Zealander Lucas Walton currently leads the provisional general classification of the Frejus stage, just like Theo Cordonnier, who won three races in the Twin-Tip (to the jury). . Author of a flawless performance this afternoon with four wins under his belt, Alex Caizergues leads the directional board dance (in front of the judges). “It was a great day, the offshore wind was very strong and a bit of a cut. It’s great to be back on the ENGIE Kite Tour. I’m happy that I won all the races today. The wind was quite erratic, and there was no way to make a mistake or fall. It was Some race finishes were a bit close with Frederic Klein but I did what I had to do to be in front. I have two goals this weekend: to have a good time on the water for my return to the track and to get on the podium with my daughter on Sunday. On her part, it was a bit of luck Boima Newland, the defending French Kite Championship champion, is less fortunate today. “I wanted to winger for fun today but I had to give up after two games. I wasn’t well equipped. I’ve borrowed equipment here and there, and it hasn’t been very conclusive. “I’ll see tomorrow if I can find more suitable equipment,” she says. In the winged winger, Alain Vedet is in the lead with three wins also on the clock.

Raising environmental awareness and energy management

As of 10:00 this morning, 250 children from nine CM2 classes from schools in the city of Fréjus participated in small groups in educational workshops organized at the Nature Base of Fréjus in cooperation with the city of Fréjus and ENGIE, the main partner of the ENGIE Kite Trip. These workshops were followed in the afternoon by traditional waste collection on the beach, in partnership with Fondation de la Mer, an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of ocean and energy conservation. Besides these activities, schools had the opportunity to interact with Axel Mazzella, Laurian Nolot, Boima Newland, Chris Baloa, Alexia Fancelli and Alex Kaisergis. A fun time for everyone, dedicated to transportation and sharing. “It was great to spend time with them this morning and afternoon at the beach. It’s great because we realize they don’t know much about kites. We were able to introduce them to our sport and share what we do and what we experience with them. They were very attentive,” says Boema Newland. Fascinated and interested, it was really wonderful.”

A racer briefing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, with the first departure possible around 10:00 a.m.