La Ventana Race Series at Playa Central Kiteboarding

From November to March Playa Central hosts the La Ventana Race Series the third Monday of every month. Sponsors and cohosts include Pro Windsurf Ventana, Air Rush Kites, Captain Kirk´s, the Flying High Resort, Diamante Real Estate and Liquid Force Kites. It is a slalom course designed by Tyson Poor and the race is directed by Dave Tyburski. Windsurfers and kiters race a five buoy slalom course and we run 5 races a day. Playa Central serves lunch and drink specials and spectators come to enjoy an exciting day of racing.

Tyson Poor designs the slalom course for the La Ventana Race Series

Dave Tybursky from Airush directing the La Ventana Series at Playa Central.

In November there were 10 skippers who participated and the results were 1. Tyson Poor (windsurf), 2. Adam Withington Sanchez (kiteboard), 3. Lyn Preuitt (windsurf). By the second race the enrollment doubled to 20 skippers, and the results were 1. Tyson Poor (windsurf), 2. Adam Withington Sanchez (kiteboard) 3. Dan Koff and Gabor Vagi. There were also kiters who were racing for their first time and afterward said it was the best time they have ever had on the water.

This is the 1st race ever held of the La Ventana Race Series at Playa Central.

Dan Koff and Gabor Vagi tied, this picture captures their experience in the race pretty well, photo from the December Race.

The official La Ventana Race Series T-Shirt has the seires´ logo on the front, which has the tip of the Cerralvo Island in the background with kite and windsurf sillhouettes lined up at a start line. The long sleeves say La Ventana on the left one, and Race Series on the right one, and the back of the shirt has our sponsors. You can buy them at Playa Central for 20 usd.

What inspired the La Ventana Race Series?

Vivien and I (Jessica) from Playa Central went on a 10 week roadtrip to CA and OR over this 2011 summer and the events we enjoyed the most were the three Thursday Night Races we got to race in at the St Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco. While there we found out that Captain Kirk´s, a great hotel in La Ventana owned by our friends Kitty and Kirk, were one of the sponsors of the race. It also happened that Tyson Poor and Wyatt Miller form Pro Windsurf Ventana had mentioned the idea of running races out of Playa Central a year ealier. But it took us actually being in races, experiencing the sportsmanship of the whole deal, being at the startline when that cornette blows, and the best part, making friends with new people in new places to get us excited about the idea of hosting races in La Ventana.

Our brother, Adam Withington, has been racing for a couple of years and is on Liquid Force´s International team. For 2012, Liquid Force has their new NRG kites designed for racing, so lets just say that was another great reason to put on a race series.

Wyatt Miller (Pro Windsurf Ventana), Cynbad Brown (Baja Boardriders), and Adam Withington (Liquid Force) getting ready to head out to the start line.

The first week of Novomber Tyson, Dave Tibursky and I got together a few mornings over coffee and talked about some ideas and from there on everything has fallen into place. We now have volunteers who help with the finish line and buoy set up, a special thanks to Padre David and Johnnie. We are also getting great feedback from all the participants and have gotten requests to make this a weekly or every other week event. We think we will keep in monthly for this year, and maybe run the race trwice a month starting next November.

By the 2nd race enrollment doubled, and we had 20 skippers.

Padre David and Jessica Withington getting the heats ready before the race.

The slalom course makes it pretty equal for windsurfers and kiters since we can cut around buoys quickly, which is our advantage, but windsurfers usually gain speed quicker than kiters do from buoy to buoy. Kiters have a hard time power strocking their kite since we have to be careful with the tall masts of the windsurfers in front of us. If a windsurfer is behind and just downwind of a kiter, the kiter probably has their kite low and w

indsurfers simply cannot get by if they want to speed up while keeping their line. All in all, we all feel like the slalom course is very fair for windsurfers and kiters to race in the same class.

As a spectator, it is also really fun to watch these guys commin´at you as fast as they can.

Here we have Adam Withington cutting around a buoy, you can see how much space windsurfers need and how Adam can zip around it.

Photo taken during the skippers meeting in December.

Jessica Withington and Tyson Poor leading the skippers meeting at Playa Central during the December race.

Chas Walter and Jessica Withington, both trying to get across that finish line first.

Chas said this was the most fun he has ever had on the water, and it was his first time racing!

Walk ins are welcome, and don´t worry if you have never raced before, look at Vivien and me, we never had raced up until recently and now we are running them! Beleive us, you might not do well your first time, but every race makes you a better kiter and after two or three you feel great and comfortable at the start line. And the best part before and after the race, when you hang out with everybody for race talk, beer talk, and more fun talk.

For more information you can email me at Jessica@playacentralkiteboarding.com and you can see lots more Pictures of the race on our Facebook page.

Book your lodging and kite lessons in La Ventana with us www.playacentralkiteboarding.com