Audi MedCup – Kiwis flying in the breeze to lead. Three tied in the GP42s

di Bras de Bois - 29/08/2010 : Nessun commento - Lascia il tuo commento

Back-to-back wins in today’s rich diet of one windward-leeward race followed by an exciting 20 miles coastal race sees Emirates Team New Zealand seize the overall lead of the Caja Mediterráneo Region of Murcia Trophy regatta for the TP52 Series.

In blustery winds which topped 22 knots at times and produced some exciting downwind racing, the Kiwi Audi MedCup 2009 champions produced a performance which was entirely reminiscent of their dominant form here last year when they clinched the 2009 overall title. They lead Quantum Racing across the finish line of the windward-leeward, and were comfortably ahead of Artemis in the coastal circuit.

The two winning guns for Emirates Team New Zealand contrasted sharply with the fortunes of TeamOrigin. After a hard won third in the windward-leeward the British team still lead the regatta overall by six points but in the coastal race Ben Ainslie’s crew broke their forestay and had to struggle around the final four miles of the 20 miles circuit under mainsail only finishing 11th.

Emirates Team New Zealand’s afterguard read the breeze and current pattern best and were able to use their speed edge in the brisk conditions to win the windward-leeward – gaining more than 30 seconds on the downwind, choosing an inshore line against Matador who had rounded the first mark in second place.

Quantum Racing (USA) staged the best recovery of the race, gaining on the second beat from seventh place to cross second.

The coastal race started spectacularly with wind shift in the final countdown which suddenly placed a premium on being able to get clear of the line on port tack, Synergy, Artemis and Bribon looked to have read this change best but by the windward mark of the short opening upwind-downwind loop, Emirates Team New Zealand had forced their way back into contention, rounding third behind Synergy and Artemis. Again the inshore, right side on the downwind leg paid for the Kiwi champions and they were able to round the leeward gate mark with a small lead which they progressively increased on the long 5.5 miles windward leg.

A bold call from Matador (ARG) on this long upwind leg, breaking away to the inshore flank gained for Guillermo Parada’s crew, finding positive current flow and a lifting breeze which allowed them back into contention, turning the most easterly mark just behind Emirates Team New Zealand.

But Matador suffered a small problem on the short reaching leg when they could not drop their gennaker quick enough when the breeze went ahead and they lost two boats, dropping to finish fourth.

So Emirates Team New Zealand were the first to enjoy the affectionate cheers of the passionate crowds when the coastal race finished spectacularly in the tight confines of Cartagena harbour, with Artemis getting second and Pedro Mendonca’s Portuguese team on Bigamist 7 taking third.

Breaking ties at the top in the GP42
With their all-pro crews and their latest designs suited to today’s breezy conditions, Madrid-Caser Seguros (ESP) and Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP) would have been predicted to dominate today’s races in the GP42 series.

But instead consistency, minimal mistakes, and just good solid sailing rewarded the two owner-driver teams who have burst through to the top of the rankings in a near-reversal of yesterday’s leaderboard.

Roberto Monti (ITA) driving his AIRISESSENTIAL (ITA) overcame a mediocre start to the event yesterday to vault into the lead on a three-way tie-break with Peninsula Petroleum (GBR) and Madrid-Caser, earning the day’s best scores of 3-1-1.

This is a phenomenal result for this AIRESSENTIAL all-Italian team guided by tactician Gabriele Bruni (ITA) who have until now not been able to break through to the top of the standings in the 2010 season.

In the broader view of the season standings, 2009 GP42 season champion Islas Canarias Puerto Calero’s (ESP) two last-place finishes today have moved them another point back to five points behind Madrid-Caser. But there’s only four points separating the front to the back in this highly-competitive fleet, and three races remain for tomorrow.

The schedule for Sunday has been amended, advancing the possible start time by one hour in an effort to allow three windward-leeward races to be sailed.

Caja Mediterráneo Region of Murcia Trophy

TP52 Series
Day 4
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 4+2+5+4+3+1+1,5= 20,5 points
2. TeamOrigin (GBR), 3+1+3+2+1+3+16,5= 29,5
3. Matador (ARG), 1+4+1+5+8+5+6= 30
4. Artemis (SWE), 5+6+2+10+4+6+3= 36
5. Quantum Racing (USA), 9+5+6+3+7+2+7,5= 39,5
6. Bribón (ESP), 7+11+4+1+10+4+12= 49
7. Luna Rossa (ITA), 2+7+9+6+2+9+15= 50
8. Synergy (RUS), 8+3+7+11+6+7+10,5= 52,5
9. Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), 6+8+11+8+9+10+9= 61
10. Bigamist 7 (POR), 11+9+8+9+11+11+4,5= 63,5
11. Cristabella (GBR), 10+10+10+7+5+8+13,5= 63,5

GP42 Series
Day 3
1. AIRISESSENTIAL (ITA), 5+2+4+3+1+1= 16 points
2. Península Petroleum (GBR), 1+5+2+2+2+4= 16
3. Madrid – Caser Seguros (ESP), 2+3+1+5+3+2= 16
4. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP), 3+1+5+1+5+5= 20
5. Iberdrola (ESP), 4+4+3+4+4+3= 22

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