Over 100km/h on a windsurfer

The 2021 Luderitz Speed Challenge has come to an end. Using the new Mach5 Luderitz Speed Special, Bjorn Dunkerbeck hit a top speed of 103,68km/h (55,98 knots). Many other 51+ knots runs over 500 meters were recorded by the team throughout this years’ event.

Photo/video by Jaco Wolmarans

Bjorn on form

Apart from his impressive top speed of 103,68km/h (55,98 knots) on the canal this year Bjorn, now 52, also came close to hitting 52 knots over 500 meters beating his own personal best multiple times throughout the event. The amount of days with conditions for record-breaking speeds were few this year leaving less time for preparation and tuning, but on the most windy days the team opted for new 5,2 Mach5 Luderitz Speed Special prototypes which also will be available for ordering throughout 2021 and 2022.   

The final score; a third place overall on this years’ ranking for Bjorn and a fifth place for Gunnar.

Karo van Tonder injury update

After tearing her Achilles tendon during this years’ event, Karo had to retire for this years’ Luderitz Speed Challenge; undoubtedly a very frustrating experience. After undergoing treatment, Karo has since then released a vlog post reflecting on what happened: 

“It has been an intense few weeks! In this video I am taking you guys behind the scenes on my journey, preparing for the greatest speed sailing event in the world, The Luderitz Speed Challenge. I am sharing all the details of what happened on the day of the injury, my emotions, mindset, and outlook.
Will I continue on this journey? Find out in this video…

A big thank you to the Photographers who took these amazing action photos: Victor Couto, Jaco Wolmarans, the RedBull videography team, and also my amazing mom and dad.“

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