The Wing Foil Debrief

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

Lachie White — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:30:00 GMT

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.

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

Lachie White — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:30:00 GMT

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

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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

Switching to a Race Wing | Emma Webb

Lachie White — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:30:00 GMT

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.

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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

Smallest Foil Biggest Wing | Wing Foil World Cup Türkiye 2026

Lachie White — Wed, 27 May 2026 07:45:00 GMT

The 2026 Wing Foil World Cup Türkiye just wrapped up and there is a lot to unpack. Kamil Manowiecki took the win with a bold solo split in the final race, Vaina Picot claimed the women's title despite pollution in the water, and Mathis Ghio delivered a serious redemption result with a third place on the new V3.

We break down the gear strategy driving the fleet right now, including the insight that is quietly reshaping how the top riders think about foil and wing selection. It is not biggest wing, smallest foil. It is minimum wing to unlock your smallest foil, and the difference matters more than you think.

Clips and interviews featuring Francesco Capuzzo, Ernesto De Amicis, Sean Herbert, Kamil Manowiecki, and Vaina Picot.

Topics covered:

Gong holding the line on semi-dual skin design while the rest of the fleet moves to full dual skin
Ernesto's 9-knot threshold for foil selection and what happens if the wing limit drops to 6.5m
Sean Herbert choosing between three foil options and why he ended up on the 424
The "minimum wing to unlock smallest foil" insight and why it changes how you build your quiver
Long distance racing day one: varied conditions around an island, wing changes between races
Women's fleet: Vaina and Maddalena trading wins, plastic bags in the water
The pumping battle vs muscular racing shift as the breeze builds
Start line aggression and why your engine matters as much as your position
Mathis Ghio's redemption arc on the new Ozone V3
The mark rounding that shows just how tight the front pack has become
Kamil's final race split and why committing to it was the difference
Equipment stats: foil and wing brand breakdown across the men's top 20 and women's top 10

0:00 Intro: Kamil's winning split

0:41 Francesco Capuzzo: Gong wing design

2:31 Ernesto: foil selection strategy

5:39 Sean Herbert: three foil options

7:35 Minimum wing, smallest foil insight

9:29 Day 1 racing begins

11:47 Kamil: long distance course

12:45 Women's fleet recap

14:38 Lighter wind days

15:24 Ernesto: pumping vs muscular racing

17:32 Start line aggression

18:41 Mathis Ghio redemption arc

21:44 The level is rising 22:16 Kamil's final race split

23:46 Equipment stats

26:35 Outro

What Actually Makes A Wing Fast? | Ernesto De Amicis

Lachie White — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 07:30:00 GMT

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

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

Accessible One Design Wing Foil Racing | The X15 Class

Lachie White — Wed, 20 May 2026 07:45:00 GMT

Ava Hider is the X15 Class Manager at Starboard, and she's been at the center of one of the most ambitious development programs in wing foiling right now. We cover everything from how the class chose its equipment, to the racing format they're still refining, to why one design might be the key to getting wing foiling into the Olympics.

If you've been following the Formula Wing side of racing and wondering what's happening on the one design front, this one fills in a lot of gaps.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Ava's Background

04:34 X15 Class Gear

17:03 Racing Format

20:20 Gear at Events

27:29 Squads and Pathway

31:23 Olympic Potential

Pump Foil World Records to 2nd at the Europeans | Ernesto De Amicis

Lachie White — Wed, 13 May 2026 07:45:00 GMT

Ernesto De Amicis finished second overall at the Wing Foil European Championships in Naples, on home waters, in his last year of high school. In this episode we get into how he got there: his windsurfing roots, a pump foiling world record, the custom board he helped design, and why strategy is the one thing still separating him from the very top.

We also break down the gear landscape at the Europeans, which wings stood out, how the gap between brands has closed, and why 2025 might be the most open world title race yet.

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Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:45 Background in water sports

01:40 Training habits and rise through the ranks

03:42 Balancing school and foiling

04:43 Plans after school

05:06 Pump foiling world record

07:47 Pump foiling as race cross-training

09:17 Board design for the Europeans

11:01 Board volume selection

13:27 Rounded rocker explained

15:27 Wing size selection

16:58 Foil selection

19:08 Conditions at the Europeans

21:16 What went well

22:58 Areas to improve

25:16 The brand convergence in wing foiling

29:41 World title contenders

30:21 What's next

31:25 Shoutouts

How Julien Rattotti Won the Europeans | Training, Equipment & DEFI

Lachie White — Wed, 06 May 2026 07:45:00 GMT

Julien Rattotti just won the Formula Wing European Championship in Naples, and he's here to break down exactly how he did it.

We get into his winter training block with the French team, developing the Zaoli wing alongside engineers from Turin University, his Levitaz R6 V1 setup for light wind racing, and why he's pushing for a 6.5m wing limit under IWSA Class Rules.

Julien also opens up about competing across racing, big air and free fly slalom, what it's like to drop off foil in 8 knots when you're not sure you'll get back up, and what he's gunning for at DEFI, where 800 riders line up on the same start line.

Dante Olivieri - One of a Kind Wing Foil Coaching Philosophy

Lachie White — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:47:02 GMT

Dante Olivieri is the coach behind some of Australia's most exciting young wing foil racers, and this episode is exactly the energy injection the show needed. We cover his journey from flying ants and 16-foot skiffs through to becoming the default wing foil coach for New South Wales - and why he thinks the psychological side of racing is 95% of the job.

Dante breaks down the order every racer should follow - board handling first, speed second, racing third - and why so many experienced sailors skip straight to the tactics and pay for it. We also get into his joga bonito philosophy, the case for keeping traditional sailing in the pathway to wing foil racing, and a genuinely interesting discussion on Olympic inclusion and whether the X-15 or Formula class gets wing foiling to the Games.

Plus a shoutout to the Australian para-wing foiling pilot program - one of the more exciting developments happening quietly in the background of the sport right now.

Josh Bull - Harness Line Refinement and the new PPC Parawing

Lachie White — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:07:00 GMT

Josh Bull, athlete manager at PPC, joins the show to talk about the brand's approach to building race-winning gear and what they actually look for when supporting athletes. We cover the full dual skin trimming technique most riders get wrong, board sizing and construction including some air-inside prototypes in development, and Josh's take on where wing foiling is heading as a competitive class.

Josh also lets slip some details on PPC's upcoming parafoil project - a dual skin design that's been in secret development and is close to final product. Plus his background coming through sailing and sprint kayak coaching, and why he thinks wing foiling is the answer to keeping the next generation in water sports.

Jeremiah McDonald - Steel Masts, 8 Metre Wings, and Chasing the Performance Edge

Lachie White — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 03:50:32 GMT

Jeremiah McDonald, the guy who keeps coming to Australia and winning the Aussie Nationals, sits down fresh off the New Zealand Nationals to talk about his approach to racing at the top level. We cover his philosophy of chasing the performance edge in his gear choices regardless of the trade-offs, the details behind the steel mast he was running at the Nationals, and why he made the jump from freestyle to racing.

On the technical side, Jeremiah breaks down his full setup - the Gong 8 metre wing, Levitas foils, and board sizing choices - and gets into the finer points of upwind technique, locking the wing against the board, and how to handle chop at race pace. We also get into Defi Wind, the 800-person mass start race in France that belongs on every wing foiler's bucket list.

Jeremiah also runs coaching camps - follow him here:

YT - https://www.youtube.com/@Jeremiah_McDonald
IG - https://www.instagram.com/jeremiah_mcdonald/
FB - https://www.facebook.com/miah.mcdonald

Kamil Manowiecki - Vice World Champion on Mindset, Gear, and Backing Yourself to Make the Switch

Lachie White — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 03:14:37 GMT

Kamil Manowiecki, Vice World Champion in wing foiling, sits down fresh off winning the New Zealand Nationals to talk about what it actually takes to compete at the top of the sport. We cover the mentality shift that turned his event around after a rough start, his journey from Optimist sailing through windsurfing and IQ Foil to wing foiling, and the decision to walk away from a fully funded Olympic program to back himself in a new discipline.

On the gear side, Kamil breaks down his full setup - the PPC Sonic, Chubanga V4 foil, and his custom Attack board designed for a more natural stance on the water - and why he keeps things simple with one foil for all conditions.

Wing Foil Racing Gear Breakdown - Wings, Foils, and the Metal Mast Revolution

Lachie White — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 02:51:14 GMT

A deep dive into the gear shaping the front of wing foil racing fleets right now. This episode breaks down the wings, foils, and board setups dominating at the elite level - including the full dual skin vs semi-dual skin battle, why yaw stability is the defining factor in race foil design, and the emerging metal mast technology that Jeremiah McDonald and Sean Herbert were both running at a recent nationals event.

Also covers the different racing formats across social, silver, and gold fleet, what standard you actually need to compete at each level, and a heads up that interviews with Jeremiah and Kamil are dropping in the coming weeks.

What This Show Is and Why I Built It

Lachie White — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 01:55:57 GMT

Welcome to The Wing Foil Debrief, a new format exploring high performance wing foiling from a racing perspective. Expect insights from world class riders, honest gear discussion, and real talk about technique and technology that applies to every level of foiler.

In this episode I introduce the show and preview what's coming at the 2026 NZ Nationals, the gear, the riders, and what to watch for.

New episode every Wednesday. Subscribe so you don't miss it!