Porsche embarks on kitesurfing

Current press releases

Porsche starts kitesurfing
A breath of fresh air with sponsorship partnerships

Stuttgart. In addition to its long-standing sponsorship of tennis and golf, Porsche is to support the development of kitesurfing. From November, the sports car maker will sponsor the Red Bull King of the Air competition and work with kitesurf brand Duotone. With Liam Whaley and Rita Arnaus, Porsche also won two professional kitesurfing athletes. This spectacular water sport is all about high speed and spectacular feats: standing on a surfboard, kiters let themselves be carried to the surface of the water by an acrobatic kite while using the wind and waves to perform breathtaking jumps.

“Kitesurfing is all about athleticism, precision and pushing boundaries – that’s why the sport is ideal for Porsche», Says Robert Ader, Marketing Director (CMO) of Porsche AG. “Kitesurfing is a high level sport. Competitors don’t only need to be very fit and focused, they also need courage and the best equipment to constantly push their limits. Together with our partners, we want to contribute to the future development of sport and make the excitement even more tangible by supporting professional competitions, manufacturers and ambitious athletes. At the same time, we see great potential in kitesurfing as a way to work with attractive brands and attract new target groups.

In November 2021, Porsche will sponsor for the first time the famous Red Bull King of the Air competition in Cape Town. Each year, the best kiters from around the world meet there to compete and perform extreme jumps. The sports car maker is also entering into a partnership with leading kitesurfing brand Duotone. Sports fans will be able to experience the first result of the collaboration on the Duotone Academy app, which will be relaunched in December 2021 with many new features. These will include sport-specific fitness exercises led by Porsche motorsport athletes and their coaches. Further joint efforts with Duotone are currently in the works and will be unveiled later this year. With Liam Whaley and Rita Arnaus, Porsche also won two professional athletes as representatives of kitesurfing.

Fly high: Red Bull King of the Air
Since 2013, the prestigious Red Bull King of the Air competition has been taking place in Cape Town, against the backdrop of Table Mountain. Big Air competitions have established themselves as a discipline in their own right. Participating athletes compete against each other in extreme jumps of 20 meters and more. The crowned Red Bull King of the Air kiter is the one that impresses the most in terms of height, power, extreme, technique and innovation on the day of the event. This year’s Wind Window is open from November 18 to December 3, with the event taking place on the windiest day of this time period. A total of 18 athletes will participate.

Waterproof and windproof: the new Porsche kitesurf athletes
Among the Red Bull King of the Air contenders is Liam Whaley, one of the two Porsche kitesurfers. In 2018 he finished second in the event and in 2019 he finished third. This year he is looking to step onto the podium for the first time. Born in the Balearic Islands, Whaley moved to Tarifa with his family at the age of 13 and found the wind conditions ideal for training. In 2015, he became world champion in the freestyle discipline and he has also already won several events in 2021. Whaley recently proved his exceptional form at the Cold Hawaii Games in Denmark, which featured an elite field. In extreme wind conditions of over 60 knots (around 110 km / h), it won in international competition. “Kitesurfing is like meditation for me,” explains the 24-year-old. “When I’m very stressed about something, I’m just going to go out on the water, and that makes me feel reassured. You’re so focused on the elements and what’s going on right now, you don’t have time to think or worry about anything else.

Rita Arnaus is said to have sea water in her veins. His parents are former Spanish windsurfing champions and his father was one of the first kitesurfers in his country. Arnaus received a kite for his ninth birthday and has been fascinated by the wind ever since. Now 25 years old, she has been kitesurfing for 10 years. Since then, she has won numerous titles and is often on the podium. In 2020, for example, she took two second places at the GKA Super Grand Slam in Brazil and the World Distance Kite Battle. Her discipline is freestyle: “The process is to try, crash, repeat, try, crash, repeat,” says Rita. “For hours and hours and hours. Although for me progress really comes when I’m with friends on the Kite World Tour. We really help each other. Push each other.

Further information, films and photographic material can be found in the Porsche Writing: press room.porsche.com

22/10/2021

More information and photos for journalists and media representatives can be found on the website Porsche press database at http://presse.porsche.de/.