Ernesto secures European Formula Wingfoil Championships glory

North team rider Ernesto De Amicis secured 4th overall in the Turkiye European Championship race event. Proud of his performance, North striked up a conversation with the young Italian about how the glory feels and what's install for the coming months. 

Images courtesy of IWSA Media

Ernesto, you’ve had an intense start to the 2025 season. How many gold medals or podium finishes have you had in the Italian National Series now?

I actually don’t know, haha! But I have to say I’ve won quite a few Italian Championship stops. I won all the stops in 2023, and in 2024 I won the first stop and finished 3rd in the other two. Now in 2025, I’ve done the first two stops and managed to win both of them. So stoked with these results!

The National races were closely followed by a photoshoot for the new North Mode Ultra and Vector race board in Sicily, before heading directly to Turkey for the European Championships – has it all had a chance to sink in yet?

Yeah, we had a shoot just before heading to Turkey. From that weekend until yesterday, it’s been super intense—I had a lot to manage with races, school, friends, training… but I still managed to balance it all in the best way possible.

What were the highlights of the Urla event for you?

Urla was an incredible event full of good memories. The best moment was definitely winning the long distance race, but I’m really happy with the whole week—I stayed in the top pack every race. My worst result was a 5th place on the Gold Fleet day.

The men’s final race on Saturday looked so close – how did it feel for you out there?

We had an amazing semifinal. Most people say it was the most hard-fought race ever. In that race, anyone could have won—or finished last. It was that close! We even had a photo finish. I had a perfect start, pushed to the max throughout the whole race, and hit 33 knots on the final reach just to secure my ticket to the final.
In the final, I just tried to stay with the group without overtaking Francesco Capuzzo—he deserved the overall podium more than I did. I’m super happy with my 4th place overall and 1st place in the U19 category!

So many tactical decisions at speed – can you give us a blow-by-blow?

On the last day we had tricky offshore wind, swinging between 10 and 30 knots. At first, I tested the 6.2 because I really wanted to push the limits, but it was way too gusty to feel confident on such a big wing and go full throttle. So I switched to the 4.8 and that was 100% the right call. Most riders were on 5 or 5.5s.

Were you happy with your Finals performance, and did you always anticipate finishing in the top 4 in a fleet of 52?

I’m super happy with my finish at the Europeans. I finally know how far I can push myself and I trust myself so much more now. I’ve proven to myself that I can be one of the top guys.

How did you find the earlier Long Distance race? I understand this was your first win in that format. What were the conditions like?

At every World Cup, the first day is a long-distance race to create a ranking and split the groups for the qualifying series. This was my first long-distance win. We had 10–12 knots of seabreeze and flat water—my favorite conditions.

You took the lead in the Long Distance and held onto it after Kamil crashed, then placed top 5 in the second race to maintain your lead. What were you feeling or thinking that day?

It’s hard to explain the feeling after that race, it was a mix of happiness, surprise, and this deep sense of knowing I gave my best and, in some way, deserved it.

How did the U19 Championship race go – or was that a separate event?

I was leading the U19 category the whole time, but it’s good to see the other guys pushing and trying to catch up. I hope the next races bring some real battles with other riders my age.

What’s next? September’s Formula Wing Worlds in Sardinia, followed by the Youth and Masters Worlds in the Azores?

Next up is Silvaplana in 10 days, then the Nastro Rosa Tour (Italy's wingfoil tour), followed by Istanbul, some more Italian Championship stops, then China, Cagliari, the Azores, and Brazil.

What will you be focused on between now and September?

I’ll be focused mainly on training and racing. It’s summer now, so it’s the only time I can really concentrate on training more than studying. I’ll do my best to come back even stronger.

Find the blog post with all rankings and more over at NORTH