DAKHLA FESTIVAL 2011 22/27 FEBBRAIO

The Dakhla festival, extreme south of Morocco :
the incredible encounter between sea and desert, between music and boardsports!
SPORTS / PRESS RELEASE #4 – 2/21/2011

Racing and waveriding kitesurf trials: Dakhla’s spots on fire!
 

While Dakhla welcomed Sunday and Monday all international watersports stars, these two days were focused on “qualification” trials to the attention of young Moroccan and tourist amateurs eager to take part in official competitions. Challenges were launched in the “racing” discipline in windsurfing & kitesurfing as well as in the waves.
More than thirty competitors faced off in their favorite discipline and the best of them got the wild card which will allow them to compete with the best champions from Tuesday. Sunday / « Racing » trials – “camping Moussafir” spot Located at just 2 km off the spot of Labouir Foum, but this time on the lagoon side (this is where all the magic of Dakhla operates, we move from a wave spot to a flat a spot in no time !), the beach of “camping Moussafir” is a nice white sand bay. Ideally exposed to the wind that blows almost parallel to the beach, this is the place chosen by the team of Philippe Bru, sports coordinator of the festival, to launch an open slalom course to enthusiasts Moroccan windsurfers and kitesurfers. 25 knots of wind, sunshine, choppy water, a long downwind run with a buoy to jibe far off across the lagoon, followed by another full downwind run back to the Nbaika beach located almost in the center of Dakhla, 25km of long distance… 2 windsurfers (a Belgian and a young moroccan) faced 17 Moroccan kitesurfers, but also Italian, English and French.
At 1pm, the start is on. Soon some difficulties appear but thanks to the help of teams of soldiers available to ensure the safety of participants, all participants came back safely.
Favorite in windsurfing as he started like a bullet and was leading the pack, Belgian rider Alain de Gendt unfortunately broke his mast and let the Dakhla local Faiz Khalid cross the finish line approximately 40 minutes after.
In addition to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th kitesurfers, Faiz is so qualified and all of the boys get their « wild card » on the official event of Long Distance which should begins Tuesday.
Alongside the professional sailors that run over 60km / h, it will be for all these young Moroccans the opportunity to see if their speed and endurance will allow them to be placed correctly on the next race that should be 2 times longer! The answer tomorrow if conditions are ok. Monday / « waveriding » trials & free session – Foum Labouir spot Still strong wind and clean sets on the local wave spot this Sunday.
Perfect timing for the champions who just arrived the night before ! Alex Caizergues & Marie Desandre, freshly back from a Cabo Verde surtrip, Sjoukje Bredenkamp, Fabienne D’Ortoli and Renaud Madier could enjoy a free session today and show up their skills while head judge Didier Lafitte was launching wave trials for the amateurs, locals and tourists.
One heat after and among the 6 local riders, Dutch tourist Harry Hensen win his entry ticket to the official compétition in front of local young moroccan Simon Benguit. You will find attached with this email a short interview with Sjoukje Bredenkamp, and some pictures.

Infos
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