Prettner and Haberl combine to book Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final place
History was made on the picturesque Lake Achensee in Austria as the young Austrian sailors battling it out for Red Bull Foiling Generation qualifier glory smashed the speed record. Here is all you need to know:
– Favourable mountain winds in the Tyrol have traditionally made Lake Achensee a popular sailing destination with the Fjord of the Alps previously producing a speed record of 27.2 knots (about 50 kmh) with a Moth.
– The cream of young Austrian sailing talent aged 16 to 20 eclipsed that mark with a stunning velocity of 28.6 knots (just shy of 55 kmh) as hundreds of spectators cheered from the shore and other boats on the water.
– Winning duo Keanu Prettner and Niclas Haberl mastered the conditions best on the Flying Phantom catamarans with a place in November’s World Final awaiting them now in Florida’s sailing mecca of Miami.
– Prettner declared: “It’s a great success to win this regatta. We are very proud to represent Austria at the World Final in Miami. We learned a lot from Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher (Red Bull Foiling Generation co-directors) and this will bring our performance to another level in future.”
– Hagara said: “We’ve taken Red Bull Foiling Generation all over the world, and it’s been a dream to finally hold a regatta in Austria on these technically advanced boats that are like little rockets.”
– Steinacher added: “All eyes will be on the World Final in the USA this autumn, where talent scouts and sailing pros will have a chance to spot the superstars of the future among teams from 16 nations.”
– The last national championship of 2018 will mark another premiere as the American sailors compete in the colourful city of Miami from November 3-4 followed by the all-out action of the World Final on November 9-11.
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