The Youth European Formula Kite competition in Gizzeria, Italy has moved into its decisive phase.
Riders had to work hard Friday to maintain speed in the light breeze and heat, after Saturday’s racing only the top ten will qualify for Sunday’s medal series .
Such has been the dominance of Max Maeder SGP and Riccardo Pianosi ITA all week that it turned heads when each managed to win only a single race from the four sailed Friday.
For Pianosi, misfortune played a significant role. In Race 1, he was unable to finish after getting entangled in floating plastic. A similar incident occurred in Race 3 during a tight duel with Maeder, but this time he managed to recover and finish sixth. Maeder took the win.
In the 22 strong mens gold fleet Britain’s Sam Dickinson (5, DNC, 4, 4) looks safe in sixth, while Mattia Maini GBR (7, 9, -18, 7) and Poland’s Piotr Szymiec are hovering near the cut-off.
Ben Field GBR is battling for an U19 podium place, presently in fourth.
In the women’s fleet, there were no surprises at the top. Turkey’s Darin Atakan and Argentina’s Catalina Turienzo split the day’s victories, maintaining their grip on the leaderboard.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Ella Geiger continues to shine, finishing in the top three in all races and consolidating her third-place overall.
A semi-final berth on Sunday now looks well within reach, though Geiger remains cautious: “I just try to push the whole time and see what happens,” she said with a smile.
Britain’s Emma Rennie is in eighth and battling for third in the U19 section.
