Posts Tagged ‘kite buggy’

Some awesome speeds and distances have been clocked up by kitebuggiers (is there such a word?) this year, 2009.

If you are a regular follower of our extreme sports blog you will have followed, avidly I hope,  the MadWaySouth team’s epic voyage across the Sahara on kitebuggies. They achieved a remarkable 2,160 kms in 26 days. They actually broke 2 world records – that of the longest distance for a kitebuggy and the second for the first wind-only form of transportation to cross the Sahara.

Speed records are of course something else and Arjen van der Tol of Holland holds the record for dry lake bed buggying with a maximum speed of 124kmh or 77.05mph.

The beach sand record is held by Windjammer of England who reached a documented speed of  109.59kmh / 68.10mph.

The fastest lady on a buggy at the moment is Karen Cutbush with a beach sand speed of  77.57kmh / 48.20mph. She was delighted to hear that she held the record adding, “By the end of the day I had covered close to 50 miles, but more importantly I reached a new personal best speed of 48.2mph….I am told that I am now the fastest recorded female pilot in a kite buggy in the world – Wow!”

And then there are the distance records.

We already know that the team MadWaySouth hold that one, but the solo record is held by Jose Maria Coca Rodriguez who managed a total of 441kms in 12 hours and 15 minutes moving at a maximum speed of 74.2km/h.

There is even a Backward Buggying Speed – what next! This record is proudly held by Paul Westlake, aka Pablow of Wales who achieved the remarkable speed of 58.42 kmh – 36.3 mph – backwards!!!

Of course, to be able to break records you need space, preferably with no sauntering sunset admirers and Romo Beach in Denmark is one place that definitely has that, as witnessed here with The Poland Buggykiting Team making the most of it (buggykitingpl):

The ideal space for buggying is hard-packed sand as it provides great traction and better control in a slide. Next best would be grassy lawns. Pavement and roads can be very fast, but a tight turn could flip the unwary buggier out.

Sand and grass require more power than hard-pack or pavement, but they are favoured because of the balance between grip and drag.

Buggies prefer large open spaces and smooth winds, but their small size and easy manoeuverability allows experienced buggy pilots access to areas that might have been deemed completely unsuitable – soccer grounds are frequently used in urban areas. Obviously, the more space you have the easier and safer it will be.

And if you are new to this sport, here’s an interesting video that dots the i’s and crosses a few t’s for you…with thanks to expertvillage for sharing it with us.

…and what a time they’ve been having.

They crossed the border from Morocco into Western Sahara on 10th August. Their main concern in this country are the landmines. The place is pitted with them. Less than 700km from the Mauritania border Geoff Wilson, a member of the Aussie team, had a close encounter with a mine field. Finding himself ahead of the pack, briefly, he decided to take a short cut off a road/track only to be shouted at by a passing landrover warning him “no ways, you go that way you’re a dead man…” They redirected him to a nearby town where he was able to get to the coast via a landmine free track. They will be relieved to be out of this country.

The terrain they have covered so far in their completed 1,000kms has been a mixed jumble of  dried out lake beds, salt lakes, sand dunes, rough rocks, and low shrubs to miles and miles and miles of dunes, killer rock fields, boulders, lava rock outcrops, cactus and shrubs.

The diversity has been a challenge to the two teams. There have been many breakdowns. Craig Hansen broke the goose neck on his buggy in two places after racing across incredibly tough terrain early on and the Spanish (Western) Sahara has taken its toll causing mortal damage to 3 of the stainless steel buggies. These buggies have been sent ahead to Dakhla with the support vehicles for welding, and the teams have converted the frames of the trailers into smaller buggies and have continued racing in these for the time being…

There has been one bad injury. Crossing a sharp lava outcrop, Steve Gurney, one of the New Zealanders, was airlifted about 10 ft and slammed into a lava rock – the side of his body and head taking the main impact.They had to cut his sunglasses off as they were embedded in his left eyebrow and were concerned about a neck injury as he was tending to lose consciousness. However, having ascertained that there were no major injuries he was able to walk the 1,000 ft back up to the plateau where the support vehicles were waiting. A bit of a clean-up and a few veterinary stitches later and they were able to take him to a nearby military hospital for a check-up.

He was kept in overnight for observation but the Aussie’s are suspicious that he bribed them to do that so that he could get a good and comfortable night’s sleep!

They are having a couple of rest days now to give him time to recover and then they will be off again…

The New Zealanders are still leading, but the Australians are not far behind…

I am sure it goes without saying, that of course New Zealand is the perfect place for kite buggying. New Zealand is a great place for all extreme sports; hey, New Zealand probably invented most of the world’s extreme sports, so kite buggying fits in perfectly.

There are plenty of empty beaches, and the wind is nearly always good – aided and abetted by the fact that New Zealand is made up of two small islands in the middle of a vast ocean.

Do I need to remind you what kite buggying is – exactly?

It is the sport of flying a large kite – a kite big enough to pull you a few metres when fully inflated. You sit in a three-wheeler stainless steel ‘buggy’ using foot pegs on the single front wheel to steer. Using the kite for power, you steer (with your feet) the buggy in a direction approximately at right-angles to the wind direction on a relatively hard surface – sand, grass or maybe even tarmac. That’s it in a nutshell.

However, that doesn’t even begin to give you the sense of fun and thrill and anticipation and excitement that you can get from this extreme sport.

There is an inherent danger involved with the sport, as with all sports. After all, you are sitting strapped into a large metal object, traveling at potentially high speeds – up to 60 mph + can be achieved, holding on to a kite and at the mercy of the wind. But… kite buggying’s safety record is very good and with with the right safety gear the average buggier should never receive a bad injury.

Great video from PowerkiteshopTV.

Beaches are a great place to kite buggy. Hard compact sand is probably the most popular surface for buggying. Soft sand is OK if you have wide wheels often called bigfoot wheels. Grass is harder work and tarmac is extreme and good for speed runs, but that’s about it – and you have to compete with bigger, more threatening things on the road!

Several beaches in New Zealand have the optimum wind direction and perfect conditions for buggying.

Some goods ones are Brighton Beach (Christchurch), Rabbit Island (Nelson), Ohope Beach (Ohope),Nagarunui Beach and Ruapuke Beach (Raglan), and Mokau Beach (between Te Kuiti and New Plymouth). There are many others, but these ones are good.

These beaches have no restrictions imposed on them, although some do have verbal agreements. It is adviseable to check the situation if you havn’t been there before.

As a P.S. to this blog…. what exactly IS the ‘right safety gear?

Most power kites should come with some sort of emergency release system to enable you to get rid of the kite if it starts to get too much. Protection gear should also be worn, such as helmet, shades (keeps sand out of the eyes on beaches), good sturdy footwear and maybe knee and elbow pads.

canadiantourism are great at keeping in touch with us especially when we have blogged on something that they have an interest in – and the extreme sport of kite buggying falls neatly into this catagory; the beaches of Nova Scotia being particularly suitable…

Kite buggying is a sport for all ages. Kids as young as 8 have tried their hand at this thrills and spills sport – and become hooked. It’s a new sport that combines the best of everything… a combination of sand and wind, huge open spaces, fresh air and skill. A challenge to your senses, your reflexes, your muscles and your pilotage.

And if you want to test your skills against others you might consider entering the unusual contest at Berck sur Mer in Nord-Pas de Calais, France in May 2009.

If you’re into extreme sports, then this is the place for you – a high-class, high thrills Kite Buggying Race. Only the hardiest and most skillful riders attempt this contest.

The reputation of the Berck’s five hours of kite buggying is one of extreme endurance and incredible spectacle.

In September 2009 Berck sur Mer has a 6 hour kite buggy race.

It has been hard to find out more information on these contests – Please, if anyone knows, would you let us know too? Thanks.

Kite surfing, THE top extreme sport of the moment, has been written about regularly on our blog, as have many of the other uses you can put your kite to such as kite board and kite ski-ing on snow or sand, kite with all-terrain roller blades or mountain board, and kiting with a hydro-foil board.

One sport we haven’t given much coverage to, as yet, is parakarting – or kite buggying, said to be one of the most popular forms of power kiting.

This sport combines the force of the wind using a large power kite and a 3-wheeled buggy with no brakes but a whole lot of speed! Sound like fun?

The buggy is single-seated and has one steerable front wheel and two fixed rear wheels. The driver sits in the seat in the middle of the vehicle and accelerates and slows down by applying steering manoeuvres in coordination with flying the kite. He is not strapped in. Thanks to ventoactivo for posting this video.

Kite buggying has an interesting history. It is thought to have been invented in China around the 13th century and was introduced into the western world by George Pocock, an inventor in the UK in 1827. Kite buggies became commercially available in the US and UK in the late 1970’s. Peter Lynn is generally credited with the modern popularity of buggies and kite buggying when, in the early 1990’s, he designed a strong, lightweight, affordable buggy.

If you are a newcomer to this sport it is adviseable to start with a relatively small kite in relatively low wind conditions (e.g. 2 to 3 m² kites in winds of force 2 to 3) and progress to bigger kites or higher wind conditions as ability improves. Novices should first master full control over their kite before considering the next step – the actual kite buggying bit.

Buggying can be done on a number of surfaces including grass, sand, ice and tarmac. The speed achieved in kite buggies by skilled drivers can range up to around 110 km/h (70 mph), and for this reason protective clothing is advised – including a safety helmet.

A more extreme version of this sport is buggy jumping:

This involves the pilot being physically attached to the buggy by means of a lap belt and uses a relatively large kite. He flies the kite overhead to generate maximum lift and is then—with the buggy—hoisted up to tens of feet into the air. Very advanced pilots even perform aerial manoeuvres such as 360° (or more) spins, sidewinders, pendulum swings and reverse landings.

Kite buggying can be classified as an extreme sport. Wind is the only power source and is often very unpredictable. An attitude of caution and respect towards the wind is essential, for the novice as well as the advanced pilot.

Remember, a frequent cause of accidents is flying a kite too large for the wind conditions and for the experience of the pilot. In such a case, buggy and pilot tend to be pulled downwind, often skidding and sliding sideways with a high risk of the pilot entirely losing control of kite and buggy. This can be avoided by flying kites small enough so that they allow the pilot to safely stop the buggy by turning it through the wind and driving upwind.

supermanred shows us all the thrills and spills of buggy jumping…