St Barth Catacup 2024: Formula18 news & updates

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Training action Photos by Pierrick Contin / Catacup 2024. Official web stbarthcatacup.com/
Last shot the new Exploder prototype.

New Exploder prototype launched

This year edition of the St Barth Catacup comes with plenty of breaking news. One already announced, the launch of yet a new F18 platform. This time, the third F18 Exploder yard delivers.

Currently in prototype stage, this new design was already in progress last year. We were informed on the new project and gave some feedback on the virtual tests done at the time. The design work was done by our friend Gonzalo Redondo. We did Not got involved on the design process.
The new design saw +100 virtual CFD versions and had the Scorpion orig cad we deliver to Jakub in 2015 as benchmark.

More details, comments and photos soon. Name? None assigned yet!

Prototype stage and still much features and details to be implemented like new daggers & rudder blades etc. current platform at St Barth is being tested by Ruben Booth.

Colby & Kai racing for Nacra

Gavin Colby & Kai Colman had two Vice Champs titles in 2022 & 2023 racing a Scorpion. Last year at Costa Brava they couldn’t attend, Colby on his airline pilot duties and Kai on his Americas Cup work with AMagic.
Even after 2024 Worlds week Colby was committed to continue racing Exploder but as they were transitioning to the new project above, time frames were not clear to reach on time for St Barth or even 2025 Worlds.

So Colby spoke with old mate Peter Vink, and they arranged a new partnership to start racing a Nacra Evo (First shot above). A proven design by Morrelli & Melvin which has Ravi Parent’s 2022 World Title in her pedigree.

Their plan is to race this week at St Barth, 2025 Worlds NED and 2026 Worlds at their Australian west coast.

World Champ Team @Catacup

Our Argie mate Pablo Volker and his crew Federico Polimeni are the current F18 World Champs, they are present at St Barth on their extremely fast Goodall Akurra (which is on sale by the way, contact them for more info).

This time around they will face Ravi, Booth and Colby who were not present last Worlds, so its a good chance for them to show their superior level demonstrated at Costa Brava and several warm up regattas in Europe. Ravi missed 2024 F18 Worlds due to a knee injury 2 weeks previous 2024 Worlds.

Racing start tomorrow 11AM. We will be updating results & the usual great pics by Pierrick Contin