Starboard Teamriders unstoppable
2022 was an outstandingly successful race year for the Starboard SUP Team. The athletes of the Starboard Dream Team paddled the Sprint and Allstar models to the podiums in all important races internationally and nationally. Right from the first important US race of the season, the Carolina Cup, they dominated: Michael Booth won the Long Distance in an outstanding way, Connor Baxter took gold in the Tech Race followed by teammate Noic Garioud. At the ICF SUP World Championships in Poland, Connor Baxter, Michael Booth, Esperanza Barreras and their teammates took seven gold medals, among others. Baxter and Barreras also captured the overall APP Racing World Tour titles and various other podium finishes in other races. Listing Baxter’s many wins is beyond the scope here, as are the many national champions, including Zane Schweitzer, who not only won the longboard and SUP divisions at US Nationals. Leonard Nika paddled the 204km SUP 11 City Tour fastest while his brother Claudio Nika can call himself “The Fastest Sprinter in Europe” by winning the EuroSUP Sprint title. Italian Caterina Stenta showed what the 23 Starboard Sprint Zero board can do. She paddled away from all the ladies at the SUP Alps Trophy and also left the majority of the men behind her, but not the German Ole Schwarz.
Caterina Stenta on the new Sprint Zero and Ole Schwarz at the SUP Alps Trophy
Ole Schwarz and his teammates from the German Starboard Team also took off in this first real race year after the Corona Break. The 25-year-old Ole Schwarz from Bonn comes from canoeing and won the gold medal at the multi-sport event “Finals 2022” in Berlin, is German Champion in SUP Sprint (SUP DM Radolfzell), German Champion Long Distance and Tech Race (SUP DM Fehmarn) and second overall in the SUP Alps Trophy. Team manager Carsten Kurmis, who himself also defended his Sprint title at the Open German SUP Championship, is also focusing on young talent. The Junior U15 team did very well in its first race season and these names should be kept in mind: “Tinca” Thien-Catrin Tusche, Laila and her brother Marlon Daskiran, Lukas Steinwagner and Lasse Sauerteig occupied the podiums at the Open German SUP Championship at Lake Constance.
The boards of the winners are called Starboard Sprint and Allstar
The special feature: These are series models. From spring 2023, the new arrow-quick boards with the red noses will be available for sale to everyone. The Sprint, the fastest flatwater board, has been given a new hull shape with a higher, pointed nose, rounded rails and a new drainage system – all for faster acceleration and top speed. After more than six years of development, the board Sprint also comes in the new Zero construction. Caterina Stenta was already able to use it at the SUP Alps Trophy: “The water was flat, so I chose the new Sprint Zero and tried it despite the many buoy turns. The Zero was amazing, felt super connected and stable – even in the turns!”
The Starboard Sprint Zero is the new benchmark for lightweight race boards and with “zero EPS foam a game changer”. It is three board lengths faster than the carbon sandwich construction at 50 paddle strokes.
Weight comparison for the 14.0 x 25.5 shape:
Starboard Sprint Zero construction 9.6 kg
Starboard Spring Carbon Sandwich Construction 12.1 kg
The fastest board for all conditions, the Starboard Allstar continues to come in Carbon Sandwich and Carbon Wood construction. The shape updates for faster acceleration and speed: speed advantage due to the narrower nose and flatter rocker in the underwater hull. Higher rails and drainage system minimize water in the stance area. The Allstar Shape plays its strengths in upwind, downwind and choppy conditions.