Kitesoul Magazine #26 International Edition

48
RACING
Nocher Marks his Comeback by Grabbing World Series’ Opener
N O C H E R
Marks his Comeback by Grabbing
World Series’ Opener
Multiple world title holder, Monaco’s Maxime
Nocher, signaled his comeback to form by
clinching the opening round of the International
Kiteboarding Association (IKA) KiteFoil World
Series in Weifang Binhai, eastern China.
Nocher’s performance over the regatta’s
five scintillating days of competition
and a remarkable 22 races was
characterised by steady progress that
saw him only top the leaderboard on
the penultimate day, matched by a
cautious error-free final day in which
he sealed victory.
“Compared with the last year I’ve been
very steady,” said Nocher. “I’ve been
training hard and you can see it in my
results. At the start of the year I was
10th, then 5th at the Europeans, 3rd at
the Worlds and 1st here. So, I’m quite
happy about that. I’m not the fastest,
but I am the most consistent and
that’s good.”
Reigning IKA Formula Kite World
Champion, France’s Nico Parlier,
pushed Nocher all the way. He moved
steadily up the order as the regatta
progressed, taking three wins from
three in the final day's 8kts to 11kts
breezes that blew over the smooth Yellow
Sea track that gave him the second
spot on the podium.
Parlier appeared to struggle for consistency
at the start of the tour stop
due to a lack of training and unfamiliarity
with new kites and foils that
racers may use in the “open”, unregulated
IKA KiteFoil events. But increasingly-quick
and consistent by the
close, he narrowed the gap to Nocher.
“I’m happy, it was a good last day,”
said Parlier. “I’m pleased, too, with
the way I went towards the end of
the regatta. I feel good and I’m happy
that I’m going well even in the lighter
winds we had on the last day.”
Britain’s Connor Bainbridge paid the
price for the growing pace and consistency
of both Nocher and Parlier.
Bainbridge had a lock on the leaderboard’s
top spot for the opening three
days and looked unassailable, racking
up win after win.
But over the final two days of the competition
Bainbridge began to falter,
surrendering his second spot to Parlier
when he posted two low-placed
finishes on the final day. Still, the Briton
took heart from his dominant early
showing and the third podium, his
highest-place finish of the year.
“I’m a little bit disappointed with my
performance on the last day,” said
Bainbridge. “I got a little bit unlucky in
the first race and got in a tangle at the
windward mark. After that my head
wasn’t in the race. But I’m stoked with
my overall performance even though
today was a difficult day because I let
the pressure get on top of me.”
The trio, among 32 athletes from 16
countries, got to share in the €60,000