They recap Mike’s reset after leaving North and a 2024 brain hemorrhage, months chasing swell and wind between New Zealand and Australia, and the decision to come back into the industry with Paul Martin, Ben Jamieson and the Foil Drive crew. Nico brings the European demo-and-camp view: heat-dome summers, Baltic sessions, tool-less Mini Pod swaps, Fusion racing, and how fast first-timers progress when they get days on the water instead of a 20-minute demo.
The conversation covers efficiency and testing without waiting for wind, Jerry Lopez finding empty lineup waves at 77, Fusion / Max / Slim as different tools rather than one product, camps that turn into all-day foil-drive clinics, downwind racing where you’re faster off the trigger than on it, second-hand units that still last, and why assist is another quiver item instead of a replacement for wing, prone or pump.
Episode Highlights:
- Mike’s new role at Foil Drive: brand look and feel plus product-to-market, working with designers across foil brands instead of competing with them
- Why Foil Drive: people first, in-house manufacturing, and a product Mike was already using to get onto bigger waves on a 35L board and smaller wings
- Mini Pod: tool-less, light enough that even die-hard prone riders will mount and unmount it between sessions
- Teaching: first session is the trigger; multi-day camps flatten the learning curve from zero to real foiling
- Systems: Fusion for power and beginners / e-foil racing, Max as the all-rounder, Slim as the underrated downwind and performance unit
- Downwind and racing: short bursts to get on foil, then pump; thinner masts and smaller wings as power and thrust improve
- Durability and access: modular parts, cheap wear items, a growing second-hand market, and pairing assist with a power wing as backup
- Culture: evenings still end with “session first or pack down first,” and knowledge plus passion as the moat as more brands enter the category
Visit: https://foildrive.com/