DAY 1 – PWA World Cup Slalom – Marignane – 2019

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Published on April 18, 2019 by Windsurfing.TV

April 17, 2019 Created by Chris Yates

Day 1: Finian Maynard Discusses FMX Racing After Light Wind First Day

The opening day of the 2019 Marignane PWA World Cup saw the sailors receive a warm welcome upon arrival, but unfortunately the racing remained on hold with the wind teetering on the edge for much of the afternoon. That meant that several sailors ventured out on to the water to tune up a little bit ahead of tomorrow’s expected wind.

29 girls have signed up for the women’s contest, which is one of the biggest fleets in recent years, while there is a full 64-man fleet in the men’s division. With the wind remaining light the sailors were eventually released shortly after 5pm.

Earlier in the day we caught up with Finian Maynard (FMX Racing), who has started a new venture by creating his own board brand – FMX Racing – to find out more about his new project:

Hi Finian, firstly can you tell us a little bit more about FMX Racing? The philosophy and idea behind the company? And what FMX stands for…

FM: “FMX is my name – Finian Maynard – and X as in X-Factor. I like the way it rhymes together. The racing part, well I’ve always loved Formula 1 and I’ve always loved the idea of a racing team, so it just felt right and good to create FMX Racing.

The brand itself is based in Tarifa and I’m very happy about all the possibilities that the southern tip of Spain brings in terms of testing and year round development.”

You obviously have a wealth of experience when it comes to both racing at the highest level and heading up the R&D for several other brands – why did you decide now to setup your own brand?

FM: “I’ve worked for a lot of brands over the years and it just felt like now is the right time and the right stage of my career to pursue FMX Racing and gain independence. I wanted the opportunity to take flight with my own wings – that would be the easiest way to describe it.”

What will FMX Racing bring to the market?

FM: “I like to think that I can bring that personal touch to the product and make sure that each and every master is personally checked and tested. I can also bring many years of technical experience to the table, which I have gained from a lot of competitions over 26 PWA seasons and also from working together with great shapers and designers in that same timespan. I feel that I can bring a new dimension to the design, development and construction process to produce a cutting edge and state-of-the-art product.”

Will you just be producing Slalom/Foil boards or will you also be developing a line for Freeride, Wave, Freestyle?

FM: “For now, the brand is producing Slalom and Foil Race boards, but in 2020 we’ll be expanding into Freeride/Freeride Foil, but moving forwards into 2021, and beyond, everything remains open as I’m not going to restrict the brand possibilities, but I think the main focus will remain on the flat water collection.”

You have chosen to pair up with Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails), who you worked with at I-99, why did you want to bring Maciek on to your team?

FM: “Maciek has proven over the last few years that he has the top level talent in both Slalom and Foil. I find him intelligent to work with and he provides in-depth and useful feedback. I think he has a great work ethic and you can tell that he really wants that break out season, so it felt like a logical step.

Also since yesterday, we have added Thomas Goyard (FMX Racing / Phantom) to the team, so we are basically two guys competing in Foil and two guys competing in Slalom.”

What are the aspirations for FMX Racing over the coming years?

FM: “To build high-quality products, built the right way using only high-quality materials and in a way that the customer will understand that it’s an exclusive brand that is going to have an edge to it in terms of performance and durability.”

Where and when will FMX Racing boards be available for the public to buy?

FM: “We have been busy setting up a distribution network already and the boards have been available to buy in Holland and Germany for quite some time already. Other countries have signed on and will be announced in due course once everything is in place.”

Where are you producing your boards?

FM: “The brand is producing the boards at Kinetic, which is in Vietnam. So far I’m very happy with the work that they have done and I’m working with them closely all the time to continually improve and produce the highest quality products possible.”

Personally for you what is your plan in terms of racing this year? And do you have a goal for the coming season?

FM: “The plan is to compete for the whole season up until Sylt and then I still have to decide about New Caledonia. In terms of a goal, well, honestly I just want to enjoy it, maximise and optimise my results in the best way possible.”

Anything else you’d like to add about FMX Racing?

FM: “Just to say thanks to all the people who have believed in me and supported the project so far and that I’m really looking forward to building the brand in the next years – it looks positive.”

Thanks, Finian. Good luck for the rest of this week and for the future with your new venture.

You can find out more about FMX Racing – including where to buy via their website @ https://www.fmxracing.com/

You can also follow FMX Racing on Instagram: @fmxracing

The forecast for tomorrow brings plenty of promise with 18-25 knot southeasterly winds currently predicted for the second day of the Marignane PWA World Cup. The sailors will meet again tomorrow morning at 10am for the skippers’ meeting with racing commencing from 11am (GMT+2) onwards.