What Racing the X15 Actually Feels Like (From a Formula Wing Racer)

What Racing the X15 Actually Feels Like (From a Formula Wing Racer)

Henry Myers is one of Australia's fastest wing foil racers. He's currently racing Formula Wing internationally while also being one of the first Australians to race the X15 one-design class, competing at the Portimao event. In this episode Henry breaks down what it was like to jump on X15 gear for the first time, how the two formats actually compare from a racing and athlete development perspective, and why he thinks the gear cost problem in Formula Wing is the sport's biggest challenge right now. He also shares what it's like to train and race while studying Aeronautical Engineering and Commerce at the University of Sydney, how aeronautical theory has changed the way he looks at foil design, and why he thinks the Levitaz R6 and Chubanga aren't as different as people claim. Follow Henry: https://www.instagram.com/henry_m_106/ [https://www.instagram.com/henry_m_106/] WING FOIL DEBRIEF MERCH: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/4489813733/wing-foil-debrief-t-shirt-wingfoiling [https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/4489813733/wing-foil-debrief-t-shirt-wingfoiling] Follow The Wing Foil Debrief on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingfoildebrief/ [https://www.instagram.com/wingfoildebrief/] 🔗 WING FOILING GUIDES, DIY HARNESS LINE & GOPRO MOUNTS: https://lachiewhite.gumroad.com/ [https://lachiewhite.gumroad.com/] Free 2 months of WATERSPEED Pro/Ultra (For new Pro/Ultra subscriptions): https://waterspeedapp.onelink.me/ILWP/lachie [https://waterspeedapp.onelink.me/ILWP/lachie] 00:00 Intro 00:31 Henry's background 01:42 Sydney Harbour training 02:53 Engineering and racing 04:47 Why foilers are engineers 05:56 Current gear 07:34 Board design 08:05 Levitaz vs Chubanga 10:17 Portimao X15 event 12:07 Dialling in X15 gear 13:36 Harness hook height 16:02 Velcro shoulder hack 18:55 X15 racing formats 20:28 Sharing equipment 21:49 X15 in Australia 23:53 X15 in 30 knots 25:50 Formula vs X15 26:14 World Cup experience 28:32 Gear cost problem 31:27 X15 as a pathway 32:42 2026 race calendar 33:32 Top speed and follow 34:27 Shoutouts

He Avoided A Crash Mid-Race... And Still Got DSQ'd | 2026 Silvaplana World Cup Recap

The 2026 Silvaplana World Cup wrapped with one of the wildest medal series finishes of the season. Kamil jumped from 3rd to 1st to take the win, the first person to pull that off in the medal series format. Maddalena did almost the same thing in the women's fleet, jumping from 2nd to 1st after Vaina held a strong lead going in. Also in this one: a shoutout to Connor Radford on his World Cup debut, a breakdown of a port/starboard incident that ended in a DSQ despite the rider doing everything possible to avoid a collision, the visibility problem that's becoming harder to ignore in wing foil racing, and Kamil's foil damage that didn't qualify for redress. Next week: a chat with Henry Myers off the back of his Formula Wing background, giving an honest read on the X-15. WING FOIL DEBRIEF MERCH: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/4489813733/wing-foil-debrief-t-shirt-wingfoiling [https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/4489813733/wing-foil-debrief-t-shirt-wingfoiling] Follow The Wing Foil Debrief on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingfoildebrief/ [https://www.instagram.com/wingfoildebrief/] 🔗 WING FOILING GUIDES, DIY HARNESS LINE & GOPRO MOUNTS: https://lachiewhite.gumroad.com/ [https://lachiewhite.gumroad.com/] Free 2 months of WATERSPEED Pro/Ultra (For new Pro/Ultra subscriptions): https://waterspeedapp.onelink.me/ILWP/lachie [https://waterspeedapp.onelink.me/ILWP/lachie] 0:00 Intro and final day recap 0:22 Kamil and Maddalena's post race reactions 2:22 Kamil's 3rd to 1st breakdown 2:55 Maddalena's women's fleet win 4:04 Connor Radford's World Cup debut 6:12 The Thomas DSQ incident and rules debate 12:45 Wing foil racing's visibility problem 15:09 Kamil's foil damage and the redress call 19:41 Next week preview: Henry Myers on the X-15

Mathis Ghio on His Worst Result, His Mental Reset, and Coming Back

Mathis Ghio has won the Formula Wing World Championship five times. Then he finished 13th at the 2026 Europeans - his worst result ever - and had to figure out why. In this episode we get into what actually went wrong in Naples, the mental reset process he went through with a performance psychologist, and how he came back to finish 3rd in Turkey just weeks later. We also cover the full technical picture: his current gear setup (Fusion V3, Levitaz R6, hollow board construction), the wing trim system he designed himself, the Formula Wing rule changes being discussed, and what a minimum foil size would actually do to the weight game in racing. Topics covered: * The French Federation telling him to quit studying or quit sailing * Why the OpenClass and Formula Wing are more complementary than competitive * V2 vs V3 Fusion: what actually changed and why * Hollow board construction: real weight and stiffness gains or marketing? * Thomas Proust's Hong Kong breakout and the Value wing question * Wing quiver recommendations by body weight * What reducing to 6.5m or introducing a minimum foil size would change Mathis' New Website: mathisghio.com [http://mathisghio.com] SUBSCRIBE for weekly wing foil racing content every Wednesday. Follow The Wing Foil Debrief on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingfoildebrief/ [https://www.instagram.com/wingfoildebrief/] 🔗 WING FOILING GUIDES, DIY HARNESS LINE & GOPRO MOUNTS: https://lachiewhite.gumroad.com/ [https://lachiewhite.gumroad.com/] Free 2 months of WATERSPEED Pro/Ultra (For new Pro/Ultra subscriptions): https://waterspeedapp.onelink.me/ILWP/lachie [https://waterspeedapp.onelink.me/ILWP/lachie] 00:00 Rapid fire questions 05:40 Life after Turkey 09:04 French Federation vs his studies 13:42 Defi Wing 2026 16:24 X15 vs open class 22:14 Hong Kong pressure 28:15 Thomas Proust's breakthrough 29:45 Europeans - 13th place 34:55 Mental reset process 41:06 Turkey comeback 44:13 Gear breakdown 46:24 Hollow board gains 49:02 Fusion V2 vs V3 53:19 Designing the trim system 54:24 Wing quiver advice 57:57 Formula Wing rule changes 1:00:16 Minimum foil size hypothetical 1:03:31 Wrap up

What Actually Makes A Wing Fast? | Ernesto De Amicis

Ernesto De Amicis returns to the show. This time we actually get into the wings. Ernesto is one of the few Elite World Tour racers riding Zaoli, and he's had a direct hand in shaping the design direction of the wings he competes on. We get into why span matters more than most people realise, what Aramid does for stiffness, why they're not touching trim systems, and the full story of how he pushed for a design change that made the wing more rideable at the highest level. We also cover the Italian Championships format, strategy mistakes at Giteria, how he handles the weight gap in strong breeze, and a detailed breakdown of his harness setup after a full season of trial and error. Topics covered: * Italian Championships structure and the Giteria event * Racing in 25-40 knots and weight vs power tradeoffs * Strategy debrief: when your coastal instincts are wrong * Zaoli wing quiver: 7, 6.5, and 5m * Wingspan and what it means for real-world performance * Aramida bladder and canopy stiffness * Trim systems: why Zaoli is steering clear * Harness height and line length: the full journey * Wing pressure: training vs race day SUBSCRIBE for weekly wing foil racing content every Wednesday. Follow The Wing Foil Debrief on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingfoildebrief/ [https://www.instagram.com/wingfoildebrief/] 🔗 WING FOILING GUIDES, DIY HARNESS LINE & GOPRO MOUNTS: https://lachiewhite.gumroad.com/ [https://lachiewhite.gumroad.com/] Free 2 months of WATERSPEED Pro/Ultra (For new Pro/Ultra subscriptions): https://waterspeedapp.onelink.me/ILWP/lachie [https://waterspeedapp.onelink.me/ILWP/lachie] TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 01:39 Italian Champs format 03:13 Course formats used 05:49 Double skin takes over 06:27 Conditions at Giteria 07:12 Weight in strong breeze 08:24 Strategy debrief 10:13 Zaoli quiver breakdown 11:36 Two wings vs three 13:03 Real wind range 14:10 Wingspan and rideability 17:33 Stiffness and materials 19:53 One setup, all conditions 22:00 Harness setup journey 26:59 Wing pressure explained 28:55 Why no trim system 32:24 Outro

Switching to a Race Wing | Emma Webb

Emma joins the debrief to talk about her journey from competitive dinghy sailing into wing foil racing, and what it's actually like switching from a single skin to a double skin race wing. We cover foil progression on AXIS, training habits, and what gear she's eyeing next. Emma's background spans Open Bic, Nacras, and the Youth World Championships before picking up a wing in 2023. She's now racing on the Ozone Fusion and AXIS ArtPro, and shares an honest take on what changes and what doesn't when you make the jump to race equipment. SUBSCRIBE for weekly wing foil racing content every Wednesday. Follow The Wing Foil Debrief on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingfoildebrief/ [https://www.instagram.com/wingfoildebrief/] 🔗 WING FOILING GUIDES, DIY HARNESS LINE & GOPRO MOUNTS: https://lachiewhite.gumroad.com/ [https://lachiewhite.gumroad.com/] Free 2 months of WATERSPEED Pro/Ultra (For new Pro/Ultra subscriptions): https://waterspeedapp.onelink.me/ILWP/lachie [https://waterspeedapp.onelink.me/ILWP/lachie] Timestamps: 0:00 Emma's sailing background 4:05 Foil progression on AXIS 9:15 Jumping to a race wing 16:55 Training approach 21:30 Gear plans