Matahi X Porsche

When opportunity knocks – particularly if that opportunity is a paid trip to foil some of the most beautiful regions in France on the latest eFoil tech, and a chance to drive a top-of-the-range Porsche – it should be grabbed with both hands.
Matahi Drollet did just that…

Photos: Thomas Bevilacqua 


Shooting for Porsche was such an incredible experience. When I left Tahiti I didn’t really know what to expect during the trip. I actually thought I was just going to France to shoot a small foiling segment for a Porsche commercial but when I got there I realized that in fact I was the main focal character for the whole project. I was super stoked to be involved and it was the beginning of two really fun and very intense weeks of work.

💎 Premium Content Ahead! 💎

This is premium magazine content, usually only available to our subscribers, but you can access it for free when you join our mailing list!
(Already subscribed? Simply enter your email to unlock all magazine features now)

*You will receive our weekly Friday Pump newsletter, plus the latest features, gear tests and giveaway announcements.

The whole crew was all set up and waiting for me, ready to shoot the very next day. The first week was mostly focused on shooting with the car, it was by far the nicest, fastest car I have ever driven! It was an awesome experience to work with the whole team to see how they get the best angles for images and videos. The car (a Taycan Cross Turismo) was so fun and smooth to drive that it never really felt like work, I was just having fun the whole time. That’s the dream right?

“It was such an awesome experience to foil in Paris, something I would never have imagined myself doing.”

The first part of the shoot was located in the south of France, around the Pyrénées mountains… beautiful places with incredible landscapes. We then moved the set to Paris to get a few shots of me driving and foiling directly in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was such an awesome experience to foil in Paris, something I would never have imagined myself doing. We got really lucky with the weather, a sunny and glassy morning with a stunning sunrise. I was able to foil for almost two whole hours with the whole Seine river all to myself… unbelievable!

The same afternoon we headed out to Corsica, a beautiful island between France and Italy to shoot the rest of the foiling footage. The weather there was super nice, almost on par with Tahiti! It was a really enjoyable week, shooting with a smaller crew. I got the chance to try out the newest, soon to be released Takuma E-foil and also foil behind a ferry, which you can see in these shots. The food was also really good, the people were super nice and the places I was foiling were just so beautiful. I just want to thank Takuma and Porsche for letting me be part of such a nice and unique project: it was the dream trip. 

Now subscribe to the world's best foiling magazine!

To get the latest premium features, tests, gear releases and the best photojournalism in the world of foiling, get yourself a print subscription today!

Related Articles...

A Prelude to Somewhere in Outer Space

“Hold my Bintang,” says Bryan Metcalf-Perez, as he and his fellow sailors attempt to fix the engines of a 51ft catamaran, in preparation for an epic journey.

READ MORE

Caleb Vs. Kelly

Is it possible to foil the Kelly Wave in Abu Dhabi? And if so, could you even get barreled?! Caleb Pont answers yes to the first, and accidentally ticks off the second, too.

READ MORE

The Playground at the End of the World

Paula Novotná and Chiara Socin spend time in the Fijian island chain, and feel far removed from the world they left behind.

READ MORE