The 2011 Techno 293 World Championship, to be hosted by the prestigious St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, USA, has already attracted an entry of 200 youth racers.[more] With 6 weeks to go before the championship takes place from the 17th to the 24th of July there’s time yet for many more to register their interest.
Competing on the Bic Techno 293 One Design, many of the racers will be using chartered equipment supplied by Bic Sport. The company have allocated 150 sets of equipment for this year’s championship – a huge commitment by the one of the world’s leading brands of sports equipment. Bic Sport are rightly proud of their achievement in developing windsurf racing, worldwide, in support of the Techno 293 Class Association.
“More than 40 countries have adopted the board in 2010 as their chosen tool for bringing on young riders. The Techno 293 One Design is now the biggest fleet in world windsurfing and the most dynamic class in windsurfing and in sailing.”
The Techno 293 One Design has undergone an explosion of interest in the last few years. The first Techno 293 World Championships in Marsala, Italy in 2006, attracted a very respectable 109 competitors yet over the following four years, as the World Championships were hosted by 4 more European nations, numbers increased beyond all expectations, resulting in a record 364 competitors from 26 countries, 4 continents, in 2010!
The charter programme has been a major factor in the expansion of the class and junior/youth racing programme. This year, competitors representing 26 countries from 5 continents have been allocated equipment – with many countries sending teams to participate in all divisions of the T293 Class, including: Argentina, New Zealand, Singapore, Israel, United Kingdom, Russia, Mexico to name but a few. Bic Sport is making sure that costs, particularly the purchase and transportation of equipment, should not be a barrier to tomorrow’s potential champions, no matter where they are in the world.
Whilst the biggest fleet will be the youth division, with competitors under 17 years of age , there will also be a strong fleet of under 15 sailors, and a growing “open” division – sailors 17 years of age or older.
In light winds, the near 3 m length helps the board really glide through the water, making windsurfing an exciting option in sub-planing conditions. Once the wind gets up, the concave hull helps boost the board onto the plane making for great funboard sailing. This versatility and comfort in all water conditions and the fact that it is such a reliable, high performance board, means that kids just don’t want to give it up when they reach 17. To be able to race under completely equal conditions, with affordable equipment and in such a great competition atmosphere, the Techno 293 OD is still the best way to do it – for boys and girls alike!
Bic Sport – Techno 293 – Event info – St Francis YC – Techno Kids on YouTube
