(openPR) - Slowly but surely, young French rider Thomas Gaudiot is in the process of making a name for himself in the windsurf world… Just 17 years old, he’s already a big boy physically at over 6’ and 190lbs ! A morphology that has not surprisingly seen him take an early interest in speed riding. And being talented, he hasn’t had long to wait to set a new French record for under 18s and under 21s with 42.71 knots ! WJ managed to persuade this very shy talent, who could well become one of the big names in speed racing in the coming years, to say a few words !

Interview by Windsurfjournal;

Windsurfjournal.com : More and more people in France are talking about you, but tell us how and when you got into windsurfing ?
Thomas Gaudiot : I was interested in windsurfing as soon as I went to the Defi Wind with my dad. That mass start with so many boards on the water made a huge impression. Two weeks later I took my first funboard lesson at Société Nautique in Bandol (south of France). Then three years later I joined the Six-Fours Windsurf Organsiation, where I got the chance to learn slalom on a really good bit of flat water. That’s when I first started to get some good results in competition.

WJ : What made you go for speed sailing and go the speed canal ?
TG : My first goal was to establish a new world record for under 18s and 21s and beat the 40 knot barrier. It’s also a great way of gaining experience and pushing my limits in strong wind. Not only that, the canal at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is one of the top speed spots in the world and it’s round the corner from where I live ! I’d like to thank Pascal Maka and all his team for having confidence in me.

WJ : Last November 20th was your first time on the canal…What was that like ?
TG : When I arrived at the site I was impressed to find I was mixing with some of the elite of windsurfing. It took me a while to get onto my first run, the whole canal set up is quite intimidating ! And I had no idea just how fast I could go. But once you get going, and you see your rimes getting faster and faster it’s very difficult to stop ! The feeling of speed and movement are just stunning. One thing though, one of the most difficult things is adjusting to the closeness of the bank. I did get closer with each run but I was miles away from the edge compared to some of the others !

WJ : In just two months you’ve improved your personal best by 4 knots pushing it up to 42.71 knots… What are your new goals for the future ?
TG : Seeing as I’ve already achieved my goals for the Masters of Speed, I’m going to spend some time training at slalom with the aim of winning the world junior championships at Lake Garda this summer. I’m also going to start training at Formula Windsurfing, ready for the European Championships at Bandol. All the same, I’ll looking forward to the next big blast of wind to try and improve my best speed. But despite all that my main goal for the year is pass my Baccalaureat exams in Lyon, where I’m specialising in sports.

WJ : What equipment were you using on January 3rd ?
TG : I went out first on my Exocet Warp 50, a Gaastra Vapor 5.0 and a 22cm Deboichet fin. Then I switched to a 45cm Exocet proto. And I didn’t wear a weight vest for the first two sessions.

WJ : Does the fact that you’ve made such good progress at speed make you want to cointinue and, who knows, go for the outright record in a few years time ?
TG : Definitely ! The Masters of Speed has still got 3 months to run, which should give me a chance to improve my personal best some more. My next goal is 45 knots, but of course, like everyone else, ultimately the 50 knot mark.

For more information about the Speed:World:Cup and the International Speed Windsurfing Class (ISWC), please contact
Speed:World:Cup
Tour Manager
Markus Schwendtner Consulting GmbH
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email:info@speedworldcup.com

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Speed:World:Cup is the officially sanctioned world tour of the International Speed Windsurfing Class.

The International Speed Windsurfing Class (ISWC) is the successor to the International Speedsurfing Association, which was administering the discipline of speed windsurfing in the years 2005-2007 on behalf of IFCA.

Effective May 2007, the ISWC has become an ISAF international class, and thus is entitled to control all aspects of the sport and award the official world champion titles in the discipline of speed windsurfing.

The ISWC is a riders association, which means that the riders themselves control the development of the sport. Beside the organizing people behind the scene, the executive committee is thus completed with the riders elected representatives. Its current and past members are the “crème de la crème” of Speedsurfing worldwide.

Elected chairman of the board is Peter Davis from Great Britain, enthusiastic rider and organizer of the famous Weymouth Speedweek. Board Member Markus Schwendtner from Germany already controlled the speed discipline business as ISA Tour Manager, and will continue this successful task for the ISWC now.

The ISWC events go from exceptional action in Namibia to more cosmopolitan spots such as Fuerteventura - the historical European Speedsurfing Capital, to huge shows of extreme conditions on small islands like Karpathos. In total, there are 200 to 300 members of the association at the same time, from places like Australia or Brasil, to Germany or Norway.

The Tour has to offer: dynamic, thrilling action, and bring the most visually dynamic aquatic sports to the audience, making it a perfect vehicle to locate sponsors logos; a sport that is set outdoors, healthy and environmental friendly.

Superb action on the water, combined with an interactive and exciting life experience, that creates an atmosphere where the fans and the media are face to face with the most radical and intense competition and the biggest personalities of the sport.
Besides being a sport of radical action, Windsurfing is a way of life. This type of life is formed by several elements to which many aspire, but that few can really achieve. Most of, if not even all of these aspects of the sport are represented in the Speedsurfing Grand Prix Tour.

The ISWC is entitled to hold World, Continental and National Championships and is always looking for partners, local organizers as well as national associations, to propagate this exciting and thrilling discipline all over the world.

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TOUR MANAGER: MARKUS SCHWENDTNER

For more information about the Speed:World:Cup, please do not hesitate to contact us at:

Speed:World:Cup

Markus Schwendtner - Tour Manager
Rohrbecker Weg 43
14612 Falkensee
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www.speedworldcup.com
info@speedworldcup.com

The Speed:World:Cup is sanctioned by ISAF and ISWC

Please visit these links:

www.internationalwindsurfing.com
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