Yes, Shannon has left and they had some money to spend. Youri on the GP and Hadlow mabe back for 2013....... An interesting season on how the judges will score 2 very different styles, and Youri will ride in boots.
I find the PKRA stuff boring, as the production quality is terrible. They could learn from the ASP on how to make a sport entertaining.
Who cares.The kid has mad skill thoe i hear he can work the sharft and cradle the balls at the same time.
this is a kiteboarding forum and its pretty big news in the industry so i think its worth a mention..? lol if i could be bothered searching through some of the threads you guys have posted that apparently are relevant to this demographic...
he will be great for the brand!
maybe best will have two world champions this year...
Best have an incredible team now and something the company has been focusing on much lately. With world class riders on board this will also help drive the R&D department to new heights.
2013 Kites are insane, but demand in the US and EU has made it difficult to get stock to Australia in any decent qty to satisfy the demand here.
I wasn't being rude mate, I have owned a couple of bests in the past and have honestly not seen any on the water for a long time, even the old Waroos have disappeared off the water. Hopefully they can get a decent product going again as more choice is always good.
Show me the money!!!
Lets hope for their sake Youri can make some decent kites with them.
"Youri rides with us"...
Haha. I love how they are saying it as though Youri chose the brand because of their quality gear, or team, or something other than the fact that they paid him 3 times the amount SS did. It's no achievement really, most would do the same given the same scenario.
p.s.
That picture of him holding that kite just seems so funny to me. I also still laugh at how bad the graphics are.
Fair go. 
For all you guys who are taking time to write & bag this topic, take it easy, eh?
This kitesurfing forum is here to discuss stuff, and with blokes smashing this topic, you're just killing the conversation.
It's just not friendly.
Please ... we're all friends here, kiting is a small community .. take the time to find something that is of interest and contribute, so we're all better off.
Fair enough. He is one unbelievable kiter. I do agree it will be good to see best get back in the game.
last season's gear from Best was awesome, i'm still loving my GP's and profanity. Holding up just as strong as all the other brand's ive ridden in the past so I can't see quality being any issue.
Heard the refined the top end characteristics of the gp to improve the top end so i'm pretty excited to try it out... though i think this is the first time in my kiting life that i've actually considered switching from bow's to SLE's for more versatility and now i don't know what to do 
Youri will do great for the brand and it will be exciting to see how they change.
Out on the new 2013 GP's again this morning ...another great session!
Maybe you critics need to try something new and then throw a few comments back ??? Do you really think two of the best kiters in the world would choose to ride a brand if they werent at all confident with the gear ?
As Laurie said " don't turn a forum into a slinging match" especially if you haven' even tried a Best kite of late.
By far the best all round C kite i've ridden in 13 years !and the Kahoona is the by far the most user friendly kite iv'e taught on ever and both have all the build qualities to match .
GO TO YOUR NEAREST DEALER AND TRY A FEW
I dont have a problem with a professional sports person or any other career person who changes companies due to circumstances, whether it be financial, family, country or whatever.
Lets face it Kiting is a relatively new sport and the market is still being tested. Look at how surfing has evolved reference sponsorship, prize money etc.
I say good on him. I hope Best gear improves their R&D because of it. The average kiter will benefit because of it.
It is exciting. I will be looking with interest how he does with his new kites. Will he be successful?
I think he has put a lot of pressure on himself as well, as it will be a real test of character. Maybe those few world champions the sport has produced could ride anything and win.
It might disappoint all of us that have a certain brand loyalty, but in the end you ride what you like.
Obviously I don't know the politics behind the decision and I am sure Youri has left behind some disappointed people at Slingshot but hey these things happen all the time in business.
