MINI Kitesurf Tour

MINI surfs the North Sea wave. MINI Kitesurf Tour Europe attracted sports fans from around the world to Sylt.

Some 98,000 spectators descended on Germany’s most famous island Sylt between 26 June and 1 July to experience the thrills and spills of kiteboarding competition, MINI Kitesurf Tour Europe-style. A total of 85 competitors from 15 countries took part in the second instalment of kiteboarding’s European tour, the MINI Kitesurf Worldcup Sylt 2012. The event set out to crown the best kitesurfers in three different disciplines. In addition to the course racing and freestyle racing competitions as part of the MINI Kitesurf Tour Europe, Westerland’s Brandenburger Strand also hosted Kitesurf World Cup slalom competitions.

German freestylers competing on the MINI Kitesurf Tour Europe accounted for two podium places on Sylt, Mario Rodwald from Rendsburg and Sabrina Lutz from Hamburg proving they belong among the European elite in this discipline. Rodwald beat Austria’s Stefan Spiessberger and Luke Whitesite from Great Britain into second and third places respectively, while only Annelouse Lammerts of the Netherlands could get the better of Lutz in the women’s freestyle category. Third was Lammerts’ compatriot Kelly Schouten. “It’s always very special to ride and win in front of your home crowd,” beamed Mario Rodwald, reflecting on his victory. “The applause and cheers from the beach give you an extra push.” The 21-year-old arrived on Sylt as favourite for the event, having won the first competition on the Tour in Podersdorf, Austria.

Next kite zone: the Netherlands.

The MINI Kitesurf Tour Europe sets out to find the best European kitesurfers in the freestyle and racing disciplines in competitions at five different venues. MINI is the first car manufacturer to support the official kiteboarding European championship. Sylt was the second of five stop-offs on the MINI Kitesurf Tour Europe. The first competition took place in Podersdorf, Austria from 2 – 6 May 2012, and following the event in Sylt the competitors will meet up again in Brouwersdam in the Netherlands on 16 –19 August.

MINI catches the eye.

Participants and spectators alike had the opportunity to soak up and test-drive the latest MINI models on Sylt, as well as getting their hands on items from the current MINI Lifestyle collection in the accessories shop. Plus, the MINI Kite Experience area gave spectators the chance to try out the cool and exciting sport of kitesurfing on dry land under the watchful eye of experts.

You can find out more about MINI Kitesurf Tour Europe 2012 at www.kitesurftour.eu