We catch up with Ozone’s Head Designer & foil tester, Dominik Zimmermann for an in-depth chat about the brand new Ozone Wasp V3 & the Ozone R&D process.

Hi Dominik! Thanks for taking the time to chat. I’ve always been a massive fan of Ozone Kites, I raced with Chronos & R1s for 3 or 4 years when I competed at Red Bull Ragnarok and absolutely loved them! 

Great to hear you have been racing and enjoying our kites at Ragnarok - such an iconic event. Always good fun to race with that many people! 

How long have you been at Ozone? When did you take on the Head Designer and foil testing roles?

I’ve been involved with Ozone since 2005. Started off as a sales manager in Germany while already being involved in developing, testing, and racing buggy race kites. We are talking 4 -line handle kites with no depower but a lot of performance and compared to the foil kites nowadays with very poor stability. I spent more and more time with Rob - Ozone's founder and head designer and we got on very well. The main focus back then was to get a high-performance foil race kite to the market which we realised in 2014 with the first Chrono. I merged into the design team over the years but officially started 2013 as an assistant designer. This year Rob decided to take a step back to take some pressure off his shoulders and pass the role onto me. I’m very lucky and grateful for the opportunity to learn from one of the best not just designers but also a valuable friend. 

I get the impression you’re a bit of an adrenaline junkie? Snowkiting volcanoes, riding superbikes, paragliding... How important do you think it is as a designer to be fully involved in the sports themselves?

Yeah, I do like sports where you are fully engaged physically as well as mentally. A good rush of adrenaline can’t be wrong but is very addictive I must admit. Doing a wide variety of sports does give me a lot of inspiration for my work as well as clearing my head and relaxing my mind. I’m spending a lot of time in nature hiking, biking, skiing, flying… you name it. It’s a good source to energise, calm down as well as inspire. 

We loved testing the Wasp V2, such a fun & progressive wing. What changes can we expect to see in the V3?

The WASP V3 has taken the successful and proven design of the V2 to the next step with some fine refinements. 

  • We have stiffened up the handles inside without compromising comfort. This gives a more direct feeling to the wing. The surf handle on the leading edge benefits the most from it and gives you much more control over the wing when riding waves. It also features a new soft knuckle padding for extra comfort.
  • The window size has slightly been increased for added comfort and safety
  • The size range has been updated from 2.3, 3, 4, 5, 6 sqm to 2.4, 3, 3.6, 4.3, 5, 5.7 sqm
  • The canopy now features a Triple Ripstop material with advanced coating to increase strength, rigidity, and durability while improving feedback to the rider for a more direct feel of the wing

The V3 remains a solid do-it-all wing that's super easy to fly but can progress with you to where ever you want to take it. 

Could you talk us through the design and testing process at Ozone? How long would you say it takes from original concept to finished product?

The design process from start to finish varies a lot depending on what project we are working on. For some models such as the R1 - our high-performance race kite - we are talking years. But in general, we are allowing ourselves at least a 2 year product cycle before updating. On the wings - because it’s a young and fast-developing sport - we are discovering new features almost on a daily basis so this allows for a one-year product cycle. Having our own production facility in Vietnam we can be very fast in turning over prototypes. I.e. from a design in the computer to receiving the prototype it usually takes about 2-3 weeks only. We then go out and test it right away if conditions allow and might be firing through another prototype to the factory the very same evening… 

Could you tell our readers a little more about the Triple Ripstop material?

We have been working with Teijin on a super tough triple rip dacron that we are using on all wings and kite models now. It has superior strength and durability properties which enhance the life span of our products. The Triple Ripstop canopy - as mentioned above - goes very well alongside the dacron and in combination makes for durable and long-lasting flying objects. 

I have to know, what’s the wind range of that 2.4m? Such a tiny storm wing!

It actually has quite a big wind range but surely is aiming for high wind areas and lighter riders & kids. For a "normal“ 80kg rider it becomes very fun above 23ish knots. But if you like to ride underpowered you can get going on it sooner. I think we can agree that the smaller the wing the more fun it is…. 

For sure! Do you ask professional riders to be a part of the design or testing process?

Yes, we are working very closely with our team riders, especially for products we can’t take to their limits such as race, freestyle, big air kites, and wings. Our design team is very versatile and solid but as the sports are progressing it’s impossible to be a top-notch athlete in all disciplines. So we do send prototypes to our riders or meet up with them for testing and feedback. Being in close contact with team riders is very helpful to better understand the design needs and the direction the sports are going etc. 

Finally, I hear you're in Mauritius right now? Spots like One Eye & Le Morne look like winging heaven! Must be ideal for testing the equipment to the limits?

The design team is spending a solid amount of time in Mauritius. But we are also going to other places as well as spending time back home as we are all coming from different parts of the globe. Mauritius has proven to be one of the best testing grounds for us. From flat water lagoons to One-Eye, a world-class kitesurfing wave to Manawa one of the best wing waves, it offers everything in just one spot! It makes developing very fun but also efficient. We can be testing big kites in a light morning breeze in the lagoon. Then head out for a wing session at Manawa around midday and test wave kites at One-Eye after. On no wind days, there is great surfing, prone foiling, paragliding, hiking, and cycling on the menu. Always something to do in paradise 😉 

Great to chat Dom, really informative. Thanks!

Thank you very much and keep up the great work with Tonic Mag.

By Jack Galloway

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