INFINITI WING: A unique innovation in the world of sailing

The world renown Japanese premium automotive brand has always been a committed fan of technical innovations, not only in the automotive sector but in the field of racing sports, as well. In addition to its participation in Formula One, one of the most refined technical sports, this season, Infiniti keeps focusing on other promising opportunities, too. The company now supports a world-leading Hungarian innovation.

As innovative ideas Infiniti comes up with on land, as unique project captain Géza Soponyai has started recently. Leaving out the traditional sails, he created a rigid wing similar to that used in aircrafts. This theory has already applied in big US sailing competitions; however the key idea behind the Hungarian innovation is that the wing is collapsible and can be mounted to any mast.

"The traditional sails have reached their performance limits, so sailboats cannot be driven any faster. Sail is like a wing, where lifting force is generated. This gave birth to the idea to study how aircrafts fly, and utilize this knowledge in sailing, as well. There has been no such initiative in Hungary yet,” Géza Soponyai said.

The Hungarian innovation matches perfectly to the motto of Infiniti: "inspired performance.” The key benefit of wings is that they do not become distorted, transmit higher pulling force, while the boat tilts less, so keel can be designed lighter. This all result in excellent boat acceleration. Rigid wings were earlier fixed to the mast, which was quite expensive and made storage very complicated. As a world’s first solution, the Hungarian experts eliminated these drawbacks.

"We pay extremely high attention to support pioneering ideas, no matter what sport these come up in. This wing is a great reflection of what Infiniti represents on land: a bold alloy of performance, individual style and opportunities. We are very glad to be able to help such a world’s first innovation,” sales director of Infiniti Hungary, Ákos Kovács said.

As confirmed by Géza Soponyai, he would like to obtain international patent for his innovation and, be the proud owner of the fastest sailboat in Hungary. The new design will be first challenged at the Blue Ribbon Regatta, the most prestigious event of the Hungarian sailing life. Organized for the 43rd time in Lake Balaton, the competition is the longest competition for big sailboats in Europe, where sailors shall do approximately 200 km in the shortest time. The official record is 10 hours 40 minutes.

The newly developed wing will be mounted to a Nautic 12 Racer type racing boat called Avatar. Following land trials the boat will be set afloat in Lake Balaton, where it will definitely attract people's attention. The wing will rise 19 meters high, and occupy 3 meters when collapsed. Total width will be 4 meter 80 cm, while it weights only 150 kg due to the carbon-fibre technology. It is comprised of 14 pieces of 1 meter 20 cm wide sections – this enables collapsing and precise adjustment. The wing is covered with a super strong plastic foil.

The wing will bear Infiniti logos on its sides, so that everyone will see that it is one of the most innovative boats of the world – and not only because of its speed.