Tommaso Pampinella joins the 404 and Hippostick SUP Race Team

The 2024 kicks off with the first official brand signing announcement to spark up the buzz in the SUP racing world: Italy’s pro SUP legend and the SUP surf & foil master shredder Tommaso Pampinella has joined the 404 and Hippostick Team Europe!

“We’re super stoked to have Tommaso in the 404 Euro Squad! He’s a great athlete and I’m excited to see him racing with the 404 boards and Hippostick paddles! Welcome to the Team,” said Tanja Ecker, 11 x German SUP Champion and the exclusive dealer of 404 and Hippostick for Europe.

TotalSUP caught up with Tommaso on the eve of his first European event – the GlaGla Race 2024 – to chat about the announcement.

Hi Tommaso, welcome to TotalSUP and congratulations on joining the 404 Team! Could you tell us more about the move?

Hi! Yes, after seven years with JP Australia International Team for the SUP race and surf it has come the time for a change because the brand decided to not produce SUP race boards anymore. It was a tough change for me because I’ve always loved the brand and it’s very strange for me to not compete with them anymore. My sponsorship with JP is not over because I will use their SUP surf, SUP foil and wing foil gear for the 2024 season. But the time has come to find another brand to represent for SUP racing. Right now the SUP race market is not going through a good period and I am very grateful to 404 and Hippostick teams for believing in me, and I am very motivated to start this new adventure!

How did you come across the 404 brand and what excites you about their quiver?

I’ve known Tanja Ecker since when I started competing at the international level and I’ve always appreciated what she’s been doing with 404, so one of my first choices was to be a part of their Team. The second thing that compelled me to represent the 404 brand is that the quiver is designed by one of the best SUP athlete in the history of the sport, Danny Ching, so I was very curious to test the boards and paddles and after having tested the gear in Germany, I instantly felt in love with it.

The 404 Jump is a hybrid board because it’s very fast on flat water, especially at sprints, and is performing very good on the ocean too. The 404 LTD is the perfect board for the technical and surf races where you need high maneuverability during the buoy turn and surf sessions, so with these two boards you’re ready to race anywhere and everywhere! I am going to use the 404 Jump 14×22, the 404 LTD 14×23 with the Hippostick Paddles – Orca 92 and Verve 90.

 

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We know you’re kicking off the SUP racing year with the iconic Gla Gla Race. What will be your 404 board and Hippostick paddle set up and what are your expectations?

After some months without participating at any SUP race events and focusing more on SUP surfing and foiling, I’ve decided to participate for the 6th time at the GlaGla Race. I’ve always loved this race and I cannot miss this event celebrating its 10th anniversary! I am sure it will be a very good event with lots of SUP racers on the start line. That’s why I love it, because this is the essence of SUP racing, pro athletes are on the same starting line as the amateur athletes. This is what drives our sport and I can’t wait to race again! I will use for sure the 404 Jump 14×22 board and the Hippostick Verve 90 paddle, this will be the best choice for me.

What’s in the 2024 SUP pipeline?

Last year I mainly focused on the Molokai 2 Oahu and it was the best experience of my life but I still don’t know if I will come back to the Kaiwi Channel this year, so I at the moment I am focusing on the Eurotour, APP, ICF European and World Championships and maybe on an ultra-distance race but I still don’t exactly know which one (maybe SUP11 City Tour, Great Glenn Challenge?). It is not so easy to combine the sup race calendar with the sup wave and foil adventures but I will just try to have more fun possible on the water, specially with 404 gear!

Once again congratulations Tommaso and we’re buckling up for the 2024 – It’s going to be a fast year!

To find out more about the 404 brand, visit www.404-sup.de . Follow the brand on Instagram and Facebook

To find out more about Hippostick, visit Follow the brand on Instagram and Facebook

Follow Tommaso Pampinella on Instagram and Facebook 

*Images courtesy of Tommaso Pampinella