The 37th America’s Cup sailing race will take place in Barcelona between August and October this year and two of the six teams competing are Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Ineos Britannia which is aligned to the Mercedes Formula 1 team. Both the yacht’s designs have had technological input from the respective F1 teams, and they’ll battle it out to see who ultimately gets to challenge the reigning champions – Emirates Team New Zealand.
Now I can understand the connection between racing yachts, and Formula I race cars and can see how technology can be shared by both ensuring the value of the association, however I was recently intrigued when I read that Porsche cars have a connection with Big Wave Surfing. Are they throwing cash in and sponsoring a surfer’s wetsuit or maybe supplying SUVs to get them to the waves?
Well, in September 2022 Porsche posted the following press release and associated video:
“We’ve mastered movement on land. Now it’s time to take everything we know to the ocean. In a unique collaboration, we’re tapping into the experience of record-breaking surfer Sebastian Steudtner to lay down the technological foundations needed to take surfing to the next level. Anything can happen when you believe in the power of your dreams.”
Porsche x Sebastian Steudtner: Pushing the boundaries of big wave surfing
With the existing record wave height sitting at 26.21 metres, which German big wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner rode in 2020; last month in Nazaré, Portugal he broke his own record by successfully surfing what might be the biggest wave ever measured at 28.57 metres (93.73 feet).
The Porsche connection is that over the past three years, Porsche Engineering has worked closely with Sebastian Steudtner to achieve his goal in two ways; by helping to develop a state-of-the-art drone technology to accurately measure the height of the wave as well as with the actual surfboard technology. For both situations Porsche used technology that’s been used in vehicle development.
In Nazaré, the drone prototype from the joint technology project between Steudtner and Porsche Engineering focused on the development of a measuring drone that can quickly and precisely determine the height of waves. Until now, such measurements were carried out by analysing video footage and still images.
The prototype drone is equipped with cameras, control units and storage devices along with sensors from vehicle development, which support modern driver assistance systems. The device can measure all areas of the wave and the surfer within a radius of about 100 m.
According to Marcus Schmelz, Project Manager at Porsche Engineering, “We are very pleased to have created an innovative solution that can advance the sport of surfing. It was a challenge to develop a drone that can measure not only the height of the waves but is also capable of tracking the surfer within the radius throughout the entire wave ride. We are also open to sharing our technical insights from the drone development with official experts as our goal is to further increase transparency in big wave surfing and to provide accurate measurement data more quickly.”
Steudtner has based himself in Nazaré for the past few years as part of his Mission Wave Alpha project, which has seen him work with partners Porsche, Porsche Engineering, Schaeffler, O2 Germany, Deutsche Vermögensberatung and X-BIONIC to take the sport to the next level on all fronts, from surfing the biggest waves to water safety, board materials and design.
Deniz Keskin, Director of Brand Management and Partnerships at Porsche, adds: “The mastering of a potential highest world record wave on his new Caçador RS board is the absolute highlight of three years of intensive cooperation with Sebastian. We are proud of our contribution and are delighted that our conviction to be an enabler rather than a pure sponsor has proven to be a great success.”
Helping to surf the biggest waves possible, Steudtner has developed surfboard technology in partnership with Porsche Engineering and Schaeffler to significantly optimise his surfboard, using the latest simulation methods and wind tunnel validations, water and air resistances have been successfully reduced. As a result, with the new Caçador RS board Steudtner can now reach speeds of up to 100 km/h, compared to the previous 80 km/h. The higher speed is necessary to ride larger waves – because the taller a wave is, the faster the surfer must be so that it doesn’t overrun them. It was this advantage in speed that enabled Steudtner to ride the potential new world record wave.
“Big wave surfing is a beautiful sport; I love it and I am very proud to be able to bring it to the next level through the development of safety and technology and by believing in my dream,” says Steudtner. “It is my goal to improve big wave surfing and take it to the next level. Together with my team, which is driven by its unique ‘can do’ mindset to define what’s possible in big-wave surfing, we were able to accomplish this mission.”
This video gives an insight into Sebastian Steudtner desire to achieve his dream.
Sebastian Steudtner’s Quest for the Biggest Wave – One Minute Explorer
