Ghio Finds Top Gear with the Fusion in Turkey

May 29, 2024 / Race Wing

Across four days of racing, Mathis Ghio led from start to finish to win the season’s first IWSA Wingfoil Racing World Cup. Fellow Ozone Fusion wing riders also impressed

Words: Jim Gaunt, combined with official reports from the Wingfoil Racing World Tour
Photos: Robert Hajduk / IWSA Media

In the few weeks since joining Ozone, Mathis Ghio is undefeated after two events. Following his first Defi Wing event title in early May, as the month now closes, the 22-year-old from Marseille has kicked off his charge towards a third Wingfoil Racing World Championship with a triumphant round one win across four days of intense competition in Ulra, Turkey.

Mathis competes on the Ozone Fusion double surface wing.

Fusion product details

A ten nautical mile marathon race was the first challenge in Turkey. With all riders set-up on their biggest wings in the 12 knots light breezes, the wind speed suddenly ramped up to more than 20 knots just moments before the rabbit boat zipped across the line to signal the start. The race became a battle of attrition, with some unable to hold on, failing to complete the course. Yet the Fusion was made for this; for comfort and control with incredible power management.

Ghio crossed the line just ahead of Julien Rattotti, who has often been the master of the long distance discipline.

Ghio confirmed it was a tough start. “I went out on my 6.5m wing and I was really overpowered in the gusts… but managed to stay focused. I’ve never won a long distance race but I think the double-surface wing helps a lot because it doesn’t need as much physical effort as a normal wing.”

Conducting his own race campaign this season is also Ozone Fusion co-designer, Simon Burner, 21. The Austrian had his own highlight with the Fusion helping him win the Golden Ticket race later in the event. The second longest race of the event, the Golden Ticket is an exciting new addition to the tour which gives anyone positioned outside of the top nine the chance to claim the tenth and last spot in the semi-final by taking the bullet (win) in the Golden Ticket race.

“It was another rabbit start,” Simon explains, “and the first leg was a reach, so you’re going full hammer straight away. You have to be careful though because there are a lot of riders to negotiate. I was probably third or fourth round the first mark heading onto the upwind leg. Making a few good decisions to tack when I felt the wind shift, while also utilising the Fusion’s upwind benefits, I rounded that top mark at least a hundred metres ahead and was already halfway along the next two kilometre reach before the second placed rider completed their upwind leg. I could then complete the race in comfort.”

TOP OF THE PACK EACH DAY

Following the marathon, a further two short course races ran in terribly light winds at the end of day one. Ghio cemented his position at the top of the leaderboard by taking all six race wins on day two.

Day three was all about qualifying for the final gold medal series and Ghio judged it perfectly – still finishing as overall leader despite winning just one of the six races on day three, ending the day with 1 win, 4 seconds and 1 fourth.

During the event plastic bags proved disastrous for some racers when they became wrapped around the foils (indeed the ministry of tourism has vowed to clear the waters in the bay for next year’s event). Ghio told Wingfoil Racing World Tour reporters that he thinks the Fusion’s control gives him an advantage.

“I am controlling the wing with the tips of my fingers, so am able to really look forward at what’s coming. Sometimes I can see a plastic bag coming my way and I’m able to avoid it. Most of the riders here are really focused on the wind, on the shifts, the gust and on themselves. For me, I just focused on what’s coming.”

MEN’S FINALS – GHIO STILL THE BEST

Going into the medal series as event leader, Mathis needed just one win on the last day to secure event victory, and turned on the speed on the first reach out of the start of the men’s final to step out to a victory which has become a regular experience, yet means as much as ever to the 22-year-old Frenchman.

“We had to slow down quite a lot coming into the start and then accelerate as quickly as possible when we heard the start signal from the race committee,” he said. “From then on it was explosive pumping to get to the bottom of the course first.”

All four riders made their approach a little too early at the start of the first final. “We didn’t have a lot of space and I couldn’t slow down more without coming off my foil,” said Julien Rattotti. “I needed to bear away to keep up the speed but Mathis was to leeward of me.”

Rattotti was given a penalty for failing to keep clear of his fellow Frenchman. In taking the penalty turn, Rattotti fell off his board, and was out of the game. Meanwhile the Italians Tomasi and Cappuzzo had made slightly faster starts than Ghio. However, the world champion put in a burst of acceleration towards the first turning mark and held the inside line to take the lead towards the bottom of the course.

Ghio held on for the win and launched his board into the air as he secured gold in Turkey.

NOTEWORTHY – KAMIL MANOWIECKI AND ISET SEGURA

Pole Kamil Manowiecki took a clutch of impressive bullets on the Fusion, but unfortunately suffered from some mistimed manoeuvres in the semis. In the end he finished the event in equal 5th position.

On the women’s side, Iset Segura from Spain claimed the women’s Golden Ticket race – once again proving the Fusion’s comfort, control and air speed, with three of the event’s four longer distance races being won by riders using the wing’s unique double surface for success.

THE FUSION’S EASY FEEL

In joining Ozone, and while managing his bid to claim a third world title, Mathis has also become part of the Fusion development team and is hoping to apply the theory from the material science degree that he is simultaneously studying for.

Fusion co-designer, Simon Burner, says of his new team mate, “There’s always a race to the top and we’ve got a really good rider in Mathis who’s doing very well. He’s also very analytical and can make stuff work. For sure, it goes without saying we were nervous after the launch of the Fusion last year, as it was a long wait until the race season got underway. We were confident after all the development and we knew what could be achieved, but it’s nice to see it validated in the real world where there’s lot of uncertainty overcome.”

“It’s not easy for Mathis to come into a new season with very little experience on new equipment made with completely different materials to what he’s used to. To come back and win on new gear with little resistance says a lot about him, but also about the Fusion’s ease-of-use.

“We talked this week about where we need to head next with development. If you look at the top ten competitors, no one is riding single surface wings anymore, so there’s certainly been a technology shift. Most of them are using half lower surface designs, whereas the Fusion is the only one with the full double surface.

“When tacking, the canopy support with the ram air internal structure means that the Fusion never goes ’negative’ overhead. On the half surfaces you have to be careful that the wing doesn’t front stall when releasing the back hand. The Fusion never does, so it allows you to pay much less attention to anything other than just pushing as hard and fast as you can. Over long distances, when fatigue and pressure kicks in, it can make all the difference.”

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