North Warp 2007 Win dont fight

It is the slogan chosen by North for the new 2007 version of the Warp sail, and judging by the fact that it now holds the world speed record for the nautical mile for a production windsurfer we are not surprised.

In the World Cup, maximum speed is nothing more than a basic prerequisite. The decisive factor lies in the ability to reach top speed as fast as possible in order to get ahead of the pack and then remain speed in all situations and under a variety of conditions. This was the declared goal in designing the new Warp F2007.

Acceleration like a dragster, constant speed with no upper limit as in a Formula 1 car and power out of the gybe like a Dragster - this is how Björn Dunkerbeck and chief developer Jimmy Diaz defined the qualities they where looking for in the new WARP. At the same time they demanded fatigue free rig control and easy handling for full concentration on tactics and 100% performance. In order to meet these goals, designer Kai Hopf and his team carefully examined all sections of the very successful North WARP F2006 in the North Sails R&D center on Gran Canaria.

The challenge was to enhance acceleration without adverse effects on top speed or handling.

WIN, DON'T FIGHT!
The result is a strongly modified new North WARP that looks similar to its predecessor but clearly outperforms it in almost all aspects. The first few tests revealed that the WARP F2007 had a clearly superior performance range and incredible potential. Explosive starts, seemingly unlimited top speed and authentic power boosts after shifting totally convinced Jimmy and Björn of the new design. Particularly because the sail requires relatively little attention and is extremely easy to handle, considering its performance. In their opinion, these are the WARP F2007's main strengths as they permit the rider to focus on victory instead of struggling with difficult handling.

RESULTS WARP F2006:

• ISA Constructors Champion
• Björn Dunkerbeck World Speed Record Nautical Mile
• Karin Jaggi World Champion Speed Surfing
• Karin Jaggi World Champion Slalom 42

The Dragster Effect The immediate acceleration at the start and out of the gybe, the so-called dragster effect, where achieved through the following design modifications: Kai consciously used very high luff tension, which created strong sail foil tension in the lower third of the sail. This means a stiffer profile in the area where power is generated. The INDIVIDUAL.BATEN.ANGLE ensures maximum stability in the lower power center. The battens are arranged at almost horizontal angles to take full advantage of stiffness. The extreme sail profile at the level of the rider was also consciously chosen since this area of the sail is responsible for maximum propulsion and therefore plays a decisive role for acceleration. For extra stability in the most vulnerable areas of the profile (the area of maximum width around the boom), Kai Hopf developed the FULL.BOM.CONCEPT. The boom ends exactly at the ends of the battens to keep the sail taut across the entire length. This contributes to faster power transfer from wind pressure to propulsion.

To complement these construction features and further optimize the dragster effect, all materials where tuned for maximum stiffness and stretch resistance.

• PH2X CLOTH
  The complete double surface mast pocket is now made of this high-tech yacht sail material with minimum stretch.
  
• M.B.S.CONFIGURATION (Maximum Batten Stiffness Configuration)
  For optimum profile stability we used only super stiff tube battens with a large diameter. Apart from two piece tubes (solid tip plus tube with extra large diameter) we used some three piece battens with an oversized second tube over an inner tube for extra stiffness.
  
• Cam Spacer
  The Cam Spacer permits individual tuning of camber tension at the mast according to the rider's preferences. The sail can be set to easy rotation (without spacer) or more profile stability (with spacer).
  
• Race'n'relax
  Power is nothing without control. In order to ensure unbeatable top speed and fatigue free control despite of explosive acceleration, Kai devoted a lot of time to optimizing the sail's twist characteristics:
  1. The new battens with a round profile support the three dimensional top twist and permit a more effective twist release with more sensitive top response.
  2. The INDIVIDUAL.BATEN.ANGLE creates steeper batten angles in the top that additionally support the soft and controlled three-dimensional twist.
  3. The high luff tension favors a relatively loose "open" top that perfectly responds to gusts and absorbs choppy water conditions. The result is a self-stabilizing sail top that permits the rider to fully focus on the course without the need to permanently correct the rig position.

On top of these modifications we shouldn't forget to mention the changed postion of the HYPER.CAMs and the new CUT.AWAY.FOOT: The shifted HYPER.CAM position enables the cambers to touch the mast only with the wheels. This reduces the friction to an absolute minimum when the sail rotates as well as when rigging on the beach. The modified race outline of the CUT.AWAY.FOOT prevents the sail from touching the water during transistions.

Warp F2007 - Bjoern Dunkerbeck's favorite sail!

Hi everybody!
Now that I have sailed the final Warp F2007 production sails, I am 100% convinced by the fantastic quality and the impressive performance, which was only possible with the help from the whole R&D team.

Even though all our prototypes were put together in the North factory I was still curious to see, how the final production sails would work.

So far I had the chance to test the sizes 9.9, 8.3 and 7.3.

Everything I favored most with the prototypes, now works even better with the production sails! The biggest improvement is the top of the sail: by increasing the tension the overall feel is more stable and in my opinion the results are:

• The sails works way better in the lower wind range, resulting in a faster acceleration and better speed potential in low and mid wind conditions.
• It's hard to believe, but even the control in the upper wind range is easier now. The v-max meters on my GPS watch proofed my impression

I know, this sounds all too good to be true - I think in order to experience the incredible power of the new Warp you should simply test it yourself!

The next production sails on my list are the 7.8 down to 5.8, which I'll take with me to the World Cup on Cape Verde. Be prepared for my next test report!

Lead don't follow,

Bjoern Dunkerbeck

Specifications:

Drag racing the North Warp 2007

More info: www.north-windurf.com