Call of the Wind
Kitesurfing is both an extreme sport and a source of energy. Nowhere in Europe can it be experienced as intensively as in Tarifa in Spain. An encounter with the wind and the waves – and two superstars of the international kitesurfing scene.
It’s all about the magic of acceleration. Kiteboarder Liam Whaley hurtles toward a wave. On its crest, he hits a speed of approximately 50 kmh, pushes off the water with his lightweight 2.5-kilogram carbon board, steers his kite into the sky, and pulls at the steering bar, which is connected to the kite by high-tech lines. This takeoff momentum catapults him a good 20 meters into the air – the height of a five-story building. At the highest point of his jump, Liam steers the kite into a loop. The kite turns once on its own axis and accelerates the kitesurfer horizontally and in free flight to as much as 100 kmh. He sails a further 120 meters, rotating the kite in the sky above him in such a way that he catches hold of it again in a controlled manner and lands gently on the water’s surface.
Porsche Newsroom
Kitesurfing is both an extreme sport and a source of energy. Nowhere in Europe can it be experienced as intensively as in Tarifa in Spain. An encounter with the wind and the waves – and two superstars of the international kitesurfing scene.
It’s all about the magic of acceleration. Kiteboarder Liam Whaley hurtles toward a wave. On its crest, he hits a speed of approximately 50 kmh, pushes off the water with his lightweight 2.5-kilogram carbon board, steers his kite into the sky, and pulls at the steering bar, which is connected to the kite by high-tech lines. This takeoff momentum catapults him a good 20 meters into the air – the height of a five-story building. At the highest point of his jump, Liam steers the kite into a loop. The kite turns once on its own axis and accelerates the kitesurfer horizontally and in free flight to as much as 100 kmh. He sails a further 120 meters, rotating the kite in the sky above him in such a way that he catches hold of it again in a controlled manner and lands gently on the water’s surface.
Porsche Newsroom
