It’s been a tough weeks racing in China, but the fierce competition and exceptional conditions for racing have brought kite racing once again into the spotlight as a legitimate sailing sport.

More than 160 riders from over 40 countries have managed to get themselves into China, safely negotiate the transport of their equipment to the event site and are currently racing as we speak. The KTA (Kite Tour Asia) have organized this event and as usual are doing a spectacular job of treating the athletes like rockstars, running great races and of course there’s some very serious partying going on during the evenings.

Currently the top end of the fleets are being dominated by Florain Gruber and Johnny Heineken, followed closely by Bryan Lake thanks to the strong conditions which he favours so much. In the 20-22 knot conditions, most competitors opted for their 10m kites, choosing speed over power in the choppy conditions.

Florain Gruber started day three with a row of solid bullets (that means 1st place) in the previous days competition, saying:

"I'm in a hard group of riders, so I'm really pleased," said Gruber. "Bryan Lake (USA) is faster on the upwind legs, for instance, but I point higher. It's just a different approach and it works for me. The conditions are similar to the first day and you catch some waves out on the reef."

Also at the front of the pack, is Ricci Leccese (who’s coming to Australia next week for some clinics by the way!) "I've had two good days on my 10m kite," said Leccese.” So far the conditions have been epic. We're really smoking the fins, that's to say, going up wind as fast as possible. I think today I'm in the hardest group, so I'm pretty happy with the results."

With a couple more days of racing left, the game is still open to any one of the top three. Good conditions are forecast to continue all week, so check back to see the latest reports, results and stories once the event finishes.

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