The W1 Class — Engineered for the Ultimate Racing Experience

The W1 Class represents the future of competitive foiling — a visionary racing platform where athletic brilliance, pure strategy, and environmental responsibility come together on the water.

A True Level Playing Field

By enforcing a strict One-Design platform, the W1 Class completely removes the financial arms race from competitive foiling. We believe that victory should be determined by a sailor's tactics, skill, and dedication, rather than the size of their budget. Racing on identical, high-performance equipment creates a genuinely fair environment that unites a global community. This equality accelerates youth development, empowers female athletes, and opens the door for emerging nations to showcase their talent and claim international titles on the world stage.

The Ultimate Efficiency: Our 1-1-1 Formula

We have engineered the most streamlined, practical, and cost-effective high-performance package in the sport. Your entire racing campaign relies on a beautifully simple, travel-friendly setup: One Board, One Foil, One Wing. This format easily covers a massive wind range from 5 to over 25 knots. To guarantee fair play across all fleets and ages, each division operates under clear canopy rules — featuring a primary high-efficiency wing alongside a smaller option for stormy days, ensuring safe, thrilling, and fair races in any weather condition.

Unmatched Durability & Elite Engineering

W1 equipment is built to outlast and outperform the competition. Utilizing premium materials designed for maximum longevity and instantaneous racing response, the gear ensures ultimate investment stability. Featuring advanced Ultra-PE fibers in the airframe for structural rigidity, low-stretch canopy fabrics for crisp acceleration, and high-modulus carbon masts, the W1 Class sets a new standard for build quality. Controlled by rigorous manufacturing tolerances and tracking, the equipment remains unchanged and competitive year after year.

Industry-Leading Sustainability: The 200% Green Footprint

We prove that elite sports and environmental accountability can seamlessly go hand in hand. The W1 Class does not just reduce its ecological impact; we actively reverse it. Every equipment set is produced with a fully monitored carbon footprint. Through certified mangrove programs, we draw down and offset double the emissions generated by both hardware production and athlete travel to major events. Furthermore, for every board manufactured, an equal weight of ocean-bound beach plastic is collected — introducing a true circular model of sporting accountability.
Pure Athleticism. Uncompromised Quality. 100% Sustainable. May the best athlete win.

OFFICIAL EQUIPMENT

W1 Wing by Vayu
W1 Board by Vayu
W1 Foil by Levitaz

Men

Men

- Board 85 l FLY ML Midlength/Raceboard
- Wing 6.5 m² AURA X Singleskin, Aluula Center
- Foil: Levitaz Free 96 cm Mast, Freerace 790

Women

Women

- Board 70 l FLY ML Midlength/Raceboard
- Wing 5.5 m² AURA X Singleskin, Aluula Center
- Foil: Levitaz Free 96 cm Mast, Freerace 680

W1 Racing Format & Philosophy

The racing format for the W1 Wingfoil class is aimed at an Olympic fleet size, maximizing the high-speed, dynamic visual appeal of modern wingfoiling with ultra shore races, finishes as close as possible to shore, and bordercross elements known from the Winter Olympics.


a) Fleet Size & Rotation: The format is optimized for a fleet size of 20 to 24 competitors. To guarantee complete equipment equity and eliminate material variance, the event may utilize provided equipment, and due to the minimal adjustments allowed for the equipment, even a systematic rotation of equipment between competitors from day to day.

b) Format Flexibility: The racing structure comprises a versatile mix of short sprint races. Depending on meteorological conditions and course configurations, races are contested either in groups of 20-24 boards, or via smaller 8-10 board heats/round-robin brackets when utilizing technical courses incorporating mandatory maneuvers, obstacles and boardercross-style jumps. Due to the versatile equipment, pump-only legs, where competitors do not use the sail but pump the board downwind, are also possible
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Flexible Course Design


Courses are designed for target times of 5 minutes or less to maximize tournaround times, broadcastability and spectator engagement.


1. Sprint Courses
Derived from high-efficiency sprint frameworks, these courses rely on pure tactical racing, raw speed, and precise foiling angles. They accommodate the group of 20–24 competitors simultaneously.


2. Technical Slalom & Obstacle Courses (Boardercross Style with Heats)
When utilizing technical courses featuring obstacles, mandatory jumps, and specialized handling maneuvers, the fleet is split into heats (10x10 or 3x8) to ensure safety and high-octane spectator engagement. Scoring is adjusted accordingly.
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The W1 Concept

Simplicity & Cost Control

  • Minimalist Equipment: A strict one-board, one-foil, one-wing package designed to cover all conditions in the wind range for Olympic Sailing.
  • Reduced Overhead: Eliminates the need for coach boats to manage and swap multiple foil and/or wing sizes on the water.
  • Cost Efficiency: Significantly lower campaign and event costs due to reduced equipment complexity.
  • No MNA Testing Budgets: MNAs are freed from the expensive burden of testing endless equipment combinations.

Level Playing Field & Athlete Weight

  • Strict One-Design: Eliminates the “arms race,” removing equipment choice as a performance lever and neutralizing the advantage of well-funded nations.
  • Event Readiness: Seamlessly allows for provided equipment at major events, further enhancing a level playing field between better and less well funded nations.
  • Fair Weight Distribution: A strict one-design approach is the most effective way to control sailor physique.
  • Women specific equipment: For the first time, female athletes get equipment specifically tailored to their body physique.

Manufacturing Control & Stability

  • Proven Tolerances: Levitaz and its manufacturing partners possess a proven Olympic track record for extremely tight production tolerances and durable equipment.
  • Market-Tested: The equipment already exists on the market with significant amounts sold to the recreational segment.
  • Total Measurement Control: Implemented through factory scans, QR codes, and a comprehensive database of specifications.
  • Stable Future: Grandfathering ensures a broad base of existing gear, with a commitment to equipment evolution only when absolutely necessary.

Class Governance & FRAND Compliance

  • Established Framework: The W1 class is established under Swiss association law.
  • FRAND Alignment: Built as a multi-manufacturer concept from inception. The class supports either a whiteboard (single factory, multi-label) or a multi-manufacturer approach, ensuring no single brand monopolizes or controls the class.

Format Flexibility & Media Appeal

  • Dynamic Racing: Equipment is freeride-oriented and built for durability, enabling formats far beyond pure upwind/downwind racing.
  • Youth & Broadcast Ready: Highly suitable for heats, reaching starts, boardercross elements, and mandatory maneuvers (e.g., jumps, backrolls or 360s).
  • Spectator Friendly: Delivers the high-action visuals attractive to younger audiences and TV broadcasters while remaining fair and repeatable for championship racing.

Safety & Accessibility

  • All-Condition Sailability: The unified hull, foil, and wing setup ensures safe and predictable handling across the entire wind spectrum.
  • Self-Rescue: Inflatable wings provide high visibility on the water and allow for easy self-rescue.
  • Low Infrastructure: Minimal venue infrastructure is required; equipment easily facilitates offshore launching and rapid deployment in both marinas and from beaches. Coach boats are only optional.

Kickoff: VAYU support by Red Bull Acadmey

The pilot event acts as a high-performance incubator, pushing the boundaries of the sport through five core pillars:
1. Advanced Performance Tracking: Live video and GPX data analysis using elite tools like Vantage Sailing, Sail nJord, and Waterspeed.

2. Elite Physical Training: Specialized athletic conditioning tailored specifically to the high demands of professional foiling.

3. Tactical & Technical Mastery: Advanced tactical coaching and precise equipment fine-tuning for marginal conditions.

4. Next-Gen Competition: Real-world testing of dynamic new formats, including heats, slalom, top-speed trials, and upwind/downwind tactics.

5. Core Selection Criteria: Evaluation goes beyond pure skill, scoring athletes on their overall talent, professional attitude, and true fellowship.

The Ultimate Pathway

This is more than just a training camp; it is a direct gateway to a professional career. For the top-performing standout talents from this pilot event, it can open the door to exclusive elite mentorship, travel funding to compete on the world tour for a full year, global media exposure, and a potential pathway into major professional sailing teams.
VAYU Sports UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Koppelberg 4-6
24159 Kiel
Germany
PHONE: +49 (0) 3890790
Fax: +49 (0) 38907920
Web: www.vayu.world
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