The legendary sports car brand from Stuttgart, which has continued to manufacture the 911 model for 60 years, has also been able to create the fastest and most stable surfboard in the world. With the essential collaboration of Sebastian Steudtner, a true surf specialist and current world record holder for big waves, the German manufacturer has applied its automotive development methods to a completely different sport.
Using the latest simulation methods and wind tunnel validation, the engineering team improved the surfboard’s response in the water (hydrodynamics). He also worked on the joint aerodynamics of the board and the rider, with the aim of reducing drag so that Steudtner could achieve higher speeds. Currently, it is possible to reach between 70 and 80 km/h. High speed is necessary to ride bigger waves because the higher a wave is, the more speed the surfer needs to avoid being run over.
Sebastian Steudtner is the current big wave world record holder at 26.21 meters tall. In the future, he wants to go even higher by improving his equipment and, through his collaboration with Porsche, has substantially optimized it. The decisive impetus has been given by the company’s technology subsidiary, Porsche Engineering.
Beyond the structural changes to the board, aerodynamic tests in Porsche’s wind tunnel also uncovered other potential improvements. Adapting Sebastian’s body position while surfing and optimized equipment also significantly reduce air resistance.
Steudtner’s new board was named Caçador RS. The name is a combination of the Portuguese word Caçador (hunter) and the classic Porsche RS name, reserved for the brand’s sportiest models. With his new surfboard, Steudtner can now go hunting for the next world record.
“It is very exciting for me to finally present our Caçador RS, commented Sebastian Steudtner. “Together with the Porsche engineering team, we have spent two years intensively researching, testing and developing. The result is a faster and more stable board that allows me to ride even bigger waves – a milestone for our collaboration.”
