Marcelino Botín to design the new Mutua Madrileña TP52 boat

Vasco Vascotto, sports director of Mutua Madrileña, revealed on the opening day of the Breitling MedCup 2006 his secret for the 2007 season.

The Mutua Madrileña team has chosen Marcelino Botín to be the designer of the new TP52 boat, entrusting the famous Spanish with the design of the new unit the team will use to race during next year´s season.

This will be the second time Botín puts his signature on a design for Vasco Vascotto in the TP52 class, after the excellent results achieved in last year’s season when Vascotto won the Breitling MedCup 2005.


Mutua Madrileña and the rest of the TP52 fleet waited in vain for some wind on the opening day of the Breitling MedCup 2006. Punta Ala, Italy, 23 May 2006. Photo copyright: Nico Martinez

Next Thursday, May 25, a preliminary meeting will take place in Valencia (base of the Mutua Madrileña team) in order to establish the working framework for the new TP52 boat. This first contact will be between Vasco Vascotto and Nacho Postigo – representing the Mutua Madrileña team - and Marcelino Botín and his business partner Shaun Carkeek – the new design team -.

During this first contact both parties will draw the general lines upon which the design of the new Mutua Madrileña boat will be based, which will be developed as the 2006 racing season evolves. Vasco Vascotto will bring his conclusions drawn during the racing season after analyzing the reactions of the boat they are currently sailing. For their part, Marcelino Botín and Shaun Carkeek will bring their vast experience in boat design.

Currently, Botín is the principal designer of Emirates Team New Zealand while he and his partner have designed 5 of the 21 TP52 boats racing in the Breitling MedCup 2006, in addition to the first ever Russian TP52 boat, Rusal Synergy, expected to be launched this fall.