F18 Worlds 2022: Ravi Parent & Severin Gramm crowned World Champs

Four races held today, Mothers day here in Arg and hide follow by cell app in family reunion…! Shifty day on the water but Ravi Parent & Severin Gramm delivered a super consistent performance to grab their first F18 World Title.

Full report later when pics available. Photos by Anna Suslova , more at Red Gear Racing fb here

F18 Worlds 2022 Final Day

What a final day for the 2022 F18 Worlds. First race started 10AM clock local time. Parent-Gramm went for the bullet along Danny & Kostas. They finished 1 & 2 but surprised for all when we saw both were UFD!

Colby-Colman were leading after R8. Race 9 saw again the Greeks going for it, scoring a bullet with Parent-Gramm behind. The US sailors were securing the title while GRE7 were doing everything within their reach to climb in the overall and secure at least podium.

Meanwhile Argies continue to score poor results (14 / 23) for their Title hopes, and the Aussies kept top ten ones.
Race 10 was more of the same scenario: US1 a 4th, AUS 5 a 9th and Argies 10th.
Here we make a pause as many thought this was the final race….

We didn’t saw more activity in the Trac Trac race web, time passed bye and we thought that was final. Surprise was when Cruz asked me from shore how Tony Rivas did in R11…… Say what??? Ufffff that was hard, we checked Tracking and no R11 whatsoever, official RegattaNetwork kept showing ten races only, so the Argies didn’t knew which was their final position. Was podium lost for good??

For us, it was like who won?? although Ravi & Severin were on fire, a final +20 would have hurt them badly as they already had a UFD early on. And Colby????

Then Race 11 tracking was available but ARG 11, AUS 05 and ESP 21 were not tracked!!! Suspense all along, blasting finger down refreshing cel screen on the results page for some minutes until we saw that final “Race 11” printed confirming Parent-Gramm were crowned champs, our mate Colby & Colman second overall and huge relief when we saw ARG 11 in third. But just! As Toni Rivas & Jordi Sanchez tied on pts and the two previous bullets defined the podium spot for the Argies.

US 1
What a regatta for Ravi & Severin, their worst results was a 7th! spare the UFD. Yesterday they were one point behind and today on shifty conditions they won the Title establishing a good gap over their competitors.

Second consecutive major title for them after winning the F18 Euros at Garda in July.

Ravi Parent’s talent: Do you remember he won the A-Cat Worlds Title earlier this year right? Now along Mischa Heemskerk the only sailors to grab a Foiling A-Cat and a F18 World Title.

Parent is just starting to win major events, this guy is on another level. Super happy for him once more, as we’ve been following his career as a kid, so it was easy to foresee as we wrote , that he would become World Champ sooner or later in the As and F18s.

Now, Nacra 17 & Olympics are missing to complete the most difficult Triple Crown in Catamaran Racing: Foiling A-Cat, F18 & Foiling Olympics Nacra 17.

Brands
On the constructors championship, Nacra returns to Nr #1 after 7yrs, with last World Title won by Gunnar & Fer in 2015. The Nacra Evo F18, designed by Morelli & Melvin, a proper evolution of their legendary Nacra Infusion grabs its first World Title and cuts a streak of 4 Consecutive ones for the Exploder Scorpion.
Nacra Evo sails by Performance Sails / Peter vink.

The Exploder teams were fast enough this week, but consistency is key for the long run and when matters most Parent & Severin showed why they grab the top place o the podium

Podium AUS & ARG
Happy for mate Gavin Colby & his super crew Kai Colman, they were close and had their chances too.
Colby remembered today: “19 years ago my great friend Corsin Camenisch and I placed 2nd in Belgium at the 4th F18 Worlds”. Still plenty years left for that #1.

We rooted for the Aussies along Argies Cruz & Mariano. The two times podium Team had their first real chance for the Title. Yesterday they were leading after 7 races, but today they weren’t on the right spot in none.
The #1 will eventually come their way, they have been working and training hard for years and surely deserve it, all here in Arg, super proud of them.
Third consecutive podium is no small feat: 3rd Costa Brava 2019, 2nd Gaeta 2021 and now 3rd Clearwater.

ESP 21
During the few days of racing, aside the winners, we identified and talked with friends on 3 super fast boats: ARG 11, AUS 05 and ESP 21.
Tony Rivas & Jordi Sanchez proved that assessment today, sailing the Akurra to the max, even starting one of today’s race long after the fleet was gone, they managed to save that regatta and with a 5th in the last race they were 1pt to climb to the podium.

Danny & Kostas
Showed their level and experience this final day, only that UFD left out of the podium, excellent recovery under pressure for the Greeks and surely with hunger to grab their 2nd Title in the future after the one from Sarasota 2018.

Clearwater
Finally, even though only 3 days of racing out of 5 were been able to sail, Clearwater saw tight competition till and a deserved new World Champions. Excellent media coverage from the organizers, Jill Nickerson & Red Gear Racing with daily videos, great pics by Anna Suslova and some live footage offered. Later today’s photos from Anna when available.

IF18CA provided the Trac Trac service and it was a great asset the Class should secure for every World Championships.

Congrats to Ravi Parent & Severin Gramm, the 2022 F18 World Champs.

Video by Icarus Sports.

Trac Trac gps replays tractrac.com/event-page/event_20221003_FWorlds/2483

Top Ten , complete results here