Top British Kiteboard Foil Racer Announced as Marlow Ambassador
Marlow’s commitment to innovation in the Kitesurfing market stepped up a pace at the start of 2019 with the announcement that one of the British Sailing Team’s top Kiteboard foil racers Connor Bainbridge has become a Marlow Ambassador. Following a busy start to the year in Baja California, Mexico for a three month training block, we asked Connor to give us the lowdown on his winter training and to provide us with further information about the products he uses to keep pushing the limits in this terrifyingly fast sport.
“It has been an incredible winter and one of the most productive training blocks I have ever done. With trade winds throughout the winter, Baja California is one of the best places for Kitesurfing which is why I return year on year. Last year I finished 2nd in the kite foil world ranking but with the fleet becoming faster and more competitive I knew I couldn’t sit on my hands coming into the 2019 season.”
A standard week training for Connor consists of around 24 hours on the water and 5 hours in the gym, plus a few freestyle sessions if the wind looks good. In January, he competed in a small local competition which attracts top kitefoilers who also use Mexico as their winter training venue. It was the first time they had British female representatives at the event which is a huge milestone for the sport.
“I managed to take the win at this event with my first picket fence (all race wins) giving me a nice confidence boost going into the final block of training running up to the Pro Tour Event.”
The Pro Tour is a great place for top riders and brands to test their equipment and put all their winter training to the test. With the fastest riders in the fastest single-handed sailing discipline the action promised to be intense, and the wind did not disappoint. With big waves and high winds rolling in down the sea of Cortez they had four days of close racing with the medals decided on the final race with just 2 points in it.
“Unfortunately, I drew the short straw and finished 3rdoverall with a disappointing final race but it has made me hungry for the win at my next event, the World championship in May hosted in Lake Garda!”
Connor continues,
“Kite foiling is currently one of the fastest sailing disciplines with the America’s Cup and GP50 being the only other classes that can compete around the course. With these speeds, there is always a risk. I love working with Marlow and using the products, namely D12 SK99 and Kite Line Race 1.3mm as it gives me complete confidence in my set-up and I’m really looking forward to how we can develop the range in the future. Definitely watch this space!”
For further information about GB Kitesurfing and the latest from their Mexico training, click here.
To keep up with Connor’s training and events, find him on Instagram @connor_bainbridge and look out for more Marlow Ropes kite products coming soon.
