Inside the X-15 Class with the young and talented sailor and rider Quan Adriano Cardi

We’re excited to chat with Quan Adriano Cardi, an 18-year-old sailor from the Italian Sailing Federation. Quan’s impressive sailing career began with the Optimist class, where he won the 2020 European Championship and placed sixth at the 2021 World Championship. He then triumphed in the 420 youth class, winning the Youth World Championship in Buzios, Brazil. Now starting to make waves in the wingfoil scene, Quan shares his experiences with the FreeWing/Starboard X-15 Class, that he immediately adopted. He discusses the benefits of the innovative X-15 Class kit, the challenges of transitioning between traditional and foiling classes, and his future aspirations in wingfoil racing. Quan tell us everything about his journey and give us his insights of the X-15 Class.

X-15 Class One Design Wingfoil Training Camp in Dongo, Lake Como, Italy. Photo by Georgia Schofield.

Hi Quan and welcome to TotalWing! First of all, can you introduce yourself and give us an overview of your incredible career in sailing sports?

Good morning everyone, thank you very much to Laurie and TotalWing for this magnificent meeting and to give you my feedback on the wonderful questions you asked me. My name is Quan Adriano Cardi, I am 18 years old and I am part of the Italian Sailing Federation.

My sailing career (boats) began with the Optimist and I won the 2020 Optimist European Championship, 6th at the 2021 World Championship and won the World Team Race. A fter that I started the 420 youth class. It is a very complex boat, many adjustments, mast flexion, shape of the sail and setting of the boat in general. It is a class where in addition to the seventh class it is essential to have a fundamental racing tactic and strategy, as it is a very slow boat compared to the foiling classes and there are many crews.

Here I achieved the most prestigious achievement, I won the youth world championship in Buzios, Brazil. I have achieved other results internationally, but this is the most important.

Do your many experiences in regattas, both foiling and non-foiling, help you to perform better in wingfoil regattas today?

I think foiling classes compared to displacement classes are very different. Racing lasts very little in the foiling classes, physical and mental concentration is reduced in a short period compared to the 420 or 470. I think the experience on the classes I have taken during my career are fundamental. I think my strong point is racing tactics and strategy.  Wing foiling, not being an Olympic class, is not yet my focus, but I started doing regattas and intensive training, I think that the sailor’s mentality helped me a lot, even in wing foil regattas. The wing foil and 420 are different classes but with the same principles.

X-15 Class One Design Wingfoil Training Camp in Dongo, Lake Como, Italy. Photo by Georgia Schofield.

You seem to have really taken to the FreeWing/Starboard X-15 Class. How did you find out about it?

I was lucky enough to have contact with Starboard Italia in 2022, and in particular I want to thank Sebastiano Vannini and Giampiero Venè. In 2022, I started wing foiling as a hobby. At the end of 2023, thanks to having qualified for the Youth World Championship in Brazil, I saw Starboard advertising the new one-design wing foil class. It is a class where everyone has the same equipment, and you can understand the skill of the competitor much more, since the speed is very similar.

What do you think of the X-15 Class kit ?

The X-15 Class gear is truly amazing.  Starboard is sponsoring the one-design youth class in particular. In fact the costs are accessible as in the other youth classes (29er, 420, IQfoil). The equipment can cover all conditions and for all ages. In the u19 youth category, we already have very advanced wings, with double surfaces, for greater efficiency. With my X-15 Class equipment (board 82L tech, front 820, aluminum mast 100cm, wing X-15 Class 6m²) I can start with 7knots and my top speed with 820 is 24 knots and with 560 is 29.3 knots.

Talking about the X-15 wing in particular, what was your feeling with the double-surface? Did you feel any increase in performance?

The double profile wing is a little more difficult than the normal ones, but after a few hours of flight you will no longer have any difficulties. It really is a fantastic wing. In upwind, it is fantastic. The wing material is Ho’okipa, the most resistant of all. So as to be able to limit the costs of buying many sails in a season. The wing X-15 Class U19 is very performing as it has a double surface, the construction of the wing manages to guarantee perfect pumping for take off and downwind.

X-15 Class One Design Wingfoil Training Camp in Dongo, Lake Como, Italy. Photo by Georgia Schofield.

And what about the Reef Zipper Tech, did you use it in reduced wing mode? How does it perform?

Thanks to the Reef Zipper Tech, it is possible to have a reduction in the surface of the wing, allowing you to limit costs and quickly have another wing. I tried it and it’s fantastic, thanks to this change, even for sailors who want to wing as a hobby at a racing level, the costs would decrease.

X-15 Class One Design Wingfoil Training Camp in Dongo, Lake Como, Italy. Photo by Georgia Schofield.

You’ve taken part at the X-15 Class event in Lake Como, how was it ?

The X15 Class rally in Dongo was fantastic. Starboard made many people available to support the athletes who had signed up. Two coaches in the water to follow us and give us the best advice! We were doing a lot of debrifing on the videos that were making us, to improve our performance. The organization was perfect, it was really great to be involved in this Youth event. Comparing yourself to other athletes with the same equipment makes you really realize how much you’re going.

Do you plan to enter the international circuit like the Wingfoil Racing World Tour any time soon?

This year I made various stops at the Italian Championships and the Europeans Wingfoil Racing in Silvaplana. They went as expected, I didn’t expect to get a good position, my goal is to understand the difference gap I had over my opponents and what I needed to improve. Wingfoiling is still a hobby for me, I need many hours of training to have a better feeling, but I think racing tactics and strategy is one of my strong points, especially for race starts. My focus currently is on the 470 Olympic class, and the budget will be focused on the 470 for now…

X-15 Class One Design Wingfoil Training Camp in Dongo, Lake Como, Italy. Photo by Georgia Schofield.

I’ll leave you with the last word?

Thanks to starboard for the support given, I was able to start gaining a lot of experience on this rapidly developing class. I would love to one day compete in this class alone, as it is a new class full of innovation. I think that to have more simplicity on the races we should have a monotype equipment, to make organization and training easier. I think it is useful to introduce an open class and a one-design class for sailors who would like something easier and safer.

X-15 Class One Design Wingfoil Training Camp in Dongo, Lake Como, Italy. Photo by Georgia Schofield.

I wanted to thank Starboard which allowed me to get to know this new class and have new feelings.  I am an athlete who practices many classes, including foiling such as 69f, waszp and nacra17. The wingfoil helped me a lot to get new feedback and feelings on the other classes and vice versa. Thank you so much to TotalWing and the whole Starboard family !

X-15 Class One Design Wingfoil Training Camp in Dongo, Lake Como, Italy. Photo by Georgia Schofield.

Thanks so much for your answers Quan, and we wish you all the best for your next competitions!

Follow Quan Adriano Cardi :
Instagram

More about FreeWing:
Official Website / Facebook / Instagram

More about X-15 Class:
Official Website / Facebook / Instagram

More about Starboard:
Official Website / Facebook / Instagram