Luca made SONIC history

DAY 1

Let’s rewind. It’s the 22nd of November, 2025 – the first day of the official waiting period for the biggest kitesurfing competition in the world: the Red Bull King of the Air in Cape Town. A competition that started more than 20 years ago in Hawaii with legends like Robby Naish and Ruben Lenten, moved to Cape Town, and quickly became the most important event in the kitesurfing world. 

Normally, the event doesn’t start until late in the waiting period.
 But not this year. 

Cape Town was expecting nuking winds up to 35 knots on day one. After the devastating news that FLYSURFER’s young talent Hugo Wigglesworth didn’t get selected, all eyes were on last year’s podium finisher and hometown boy: Luca Ceruti. 

The FLYSURFER crew gathers in the morning. We’re sitting in Luke’s (FLYSURFER kite designer & Cape Town legend) van. Slowly everyone arrives: Luca’s parents, his caddies, (a bunch of insanely talented South African kids ) – the type that kite better than 99.9% of all kiters on the planet. 

Luca steps into the van with a huge grin… and Frikkies drawn all over his fingers. What are Frikkies? 
They’re little smiley faces Luke drew on Luca’s fingers during his first King of the Air to help calm his nerves. They worked so well that ever since, anyone cheering for Luca wears a Frikkie somewhere on their skin – drawn with a permanent marker, of course. 

Back to the action – or actually, no action yet.
 Even though heavy wind was forecasted, the waiting game began. Hours later, the first whitecaps finally appeared. In seconds, 15 knots became 35. Luca’s caddy sprinted to the beach and rigged up the kites: Eight ERA2 in sizes 7, 8, 9, and 10.
 Chaos. Hundreds of kites. Sand flying everywhere. 

Luca was in the second heat of the day against Dutch rider Timo Boersma and French newcomer Baptiste Jacquemain. 

He launched his 9m ERA2 and went into 10 minutes of intense competition. Trick after trick, Luca battled hard and finished second – sending him into Round 2. 

As the sun set in a deep purple glow, Luca kept his cool, landed all tricks, and advanced to Round 3. What a first day. 

Everyone went home sunburned, sandy, exhausted – and smiling. 

Then the wind picks up.
In the distance, someone launches a SONIC 7m. It’s Hugo Wigglesworth.
 For 20 minutes he absolutely sends it in light wind – foil kite kiteloops that make the whole beach stare in silence. 

Two hours later, Red Bull announces: heats start at 6:00 p.m. sharp. Luca gets ready. The caddies pump the ERA kites… and one more.
 On the sand lies a very obvious dark-orange SONIC. 

Luca begins Round 3 against Giel Vlug – known for extreme kite angles and massive loop rotations.
 He starts on the ERA 9m. First trick: huge loop, massive height… but he drops the board. Giel lands some strong tricks and takes the lead. Luca grabs his board again but his steering line is twisted. He rushes back to the beach with 4 minutes left. He’s behind by 0.6 points. The wind is dropping. 

And then it happens. 

Luke grabs Luca’s head, looks him straight in the eyes and says: 
“It’s 7 meter SONIC time, baby!” 

Luca’s eyes go wide. Excitement. Nerves. Curiosity. 
No one knows how the judges will score a kite they’ve never seen before. The caddies sprint to the SONIC. Lines are ready.
 Luca runs upwind, detaches his bar, and launches the SONIC 7m in seconds. 

The entire beach goes silent.
 Then – explosion. People lose their minds. 

Luca hits the first kicker, sends the kite, rockets into the sky with twice the height of before, spins like a tornado, catches a second lift, and floats down like a feather. The beach erupts. Within two minutes he lands three more clean tricks and takes the lead. 

He wins the heat. He reaches the Semi Finals.
 The place goes crazy. 

Back at the van, we celebrate like we’ve already won the whole event.
 After a long call with Bennie Bölli – the designer of the SONIC alongside Théo de Ramecourt – everyone crashes into bed with the biggest smile imaginable. 

DAY 3

No lie: everyone is exhausted. Three straight days of sun, sand, wind, and adrenaline takes its toll. But it’s Semi Finals day. And maybe… just maybe… it’s SONIC time again. 

The wind is already nuking when we arrive. Luca is rigging up with his usual routine. The horn blasts – the heat is on. Luca is facing Leonardo Casati, the 16-year-old brother of KOTA champion Lorenzo Casati. 

This time Luca starts directly on the SONIC. 

He hits full speed into a kicker and launches into the highest foil-kite tornado kiteloop any of us have ever seen. I hold my head in disbelief – witnessing history live. He throws down trick after trick, but Leonardo is just a bit stronger that day. Luca’s run ends in the Semi Final. 

He finishes 4th at King of the Air.
 And he becomes the first rider in history to ever launch a foil kite at this event. More than a competition!

This event didn’t just rewrite Big Air. It showed what FLYSURFER truly is. 

A brand? A company? 

No. 

A FAMILY – of riders, caddies, designers, friends, and fans who support each other with everything they have. A crew that wants nothing more than to help the person next to them reach their dreams. 

And maybe… just maybe…
 All 25 of us went home with matching tattoos :)

Luca achieved the historical jump with the following setup:

• SONIC⁵ 7m
• ERA² 8m and 9m
• FUSION Control Bar
• SHOT 135

In the air, it’s not about luck – it’s about precision. Big Air isn’t a coincidence – it’s a choice. Every take-off, every landing, every session is a reflection of your mindset. The SONIC⁵ isn’t just a kite – it’s your will, your discipline, your determination made real. It all starts in your head. Built for riders who don’t ask if, but how far they can go. More jumps. More airtime. More control.

Congratulations on this historic SONIC moment – you make us proud, Luca