In “One design racing the goal is to level the plain field in competition so all athletes ride on the same gear. This concept was tried in SUP racing but did not work, how ever it is very common in sailing sports. Particularly for the ones that are Olympic. In fact in order to be Olympic there has to be a proven concept of a One Design Class.
This is where the X-15 Class by FreeWing and Starboard comes in. At the boot show in DĂĽsseldorf we were able to take a closer look at the gear. What stands out mostly is the novelty wing. The X-15 FreeWing has a zipper at the trailing edge that allows the athlete to remove approximately 1.5m2 of sail area.
In this video we take a closer look at the gear and walk you through some of the features.
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On the X-15 website the class is introduced as follows:
The One-Design Wingfoil Revolution Takes Flight
There are many popular one-design classes in both sailing and windsurfing. But, until now, there have not been any one-design wingfoil classes. So here we are. Together, Starboard and FreeWing have stepped up to the plate to introduce one-design wingfoil racing.
Why one-design racing though? Well, it’s a whole lot more fun when everyone is in the same “race car”! One-design racing is popular, largely because homogenous equipment inherently introduces elements of fairness. That means no decisions and no second-guessing. And the gear stays the same for longer so you don’t have to update it every year – avoiding the much criticised “pay to win” or “pay to play” aspects of traditionally material-driven sports like sailing where costly more advanced equipment creates a huge advantage for those who wield it.
We felt like a lot of riders wanted to see this in winging – to enjoy the benefits that one-design brings. That’s why we’re here, and that’s what this is: The X-15 Class – one-design wing foil racing featuring the latest cutting-edge equipment.
May the best rider win.
The X-15 class gear is available in 6 different sizes: Junior U13 / U15 – Youth U17 / U19 and Senior men and women.