Mean Machine update

[Source: Mean Machine] Hello again everyone! Welcome to the fourth edition of the Mean Machine Newsletter. It’s been another eventful month in the Mean Machine camp (when is there one that isn’t!). We’ve had racing, building and lots and lots of preparation and training for the upcoming European TP 52 season. Here’s a summary of exactly what’s been going on…

MEAN MACHINE #22

The eagle hasn’t quite landed… but it’s finally on its way!

Yes, the moment all Machines had been waiting for came this month with the long awaited departure of the brand new Mean Machine TP 52 from the Salthouse shipyard in New Zealand.

The build was a success and build-manager Chris Reid was very pleased with the results: “I am very happy with the job that has been done and would happily go back for another boat. It is good to see what a small close-knit team can do when faced with such a large task.”

The boat that Peter de Ridder is looking to win the 2008 MedCup Circuit with was wrapped up in cotton-wool fashion for the transportation to Europe from Auckland by cargo ship. The new addition to the family will be unloaded at Antwerp in Belgium where she’ll then be taken by road down to Valencia, Spain.

We’ll keep you posted!

FARR 40 – ACURA MIAMI GRAND PRIX

You all know that we rarely take a rest here at the Mean Machine HQ… if we’re not racing we’re planning the next one…

Well, this month we were racing, but at the same time we were planning for the next one (and the one after that too…). March 6th saw the start of the world famous Acura Miami Grand Prix, and a new challenge for the Mean Machine Farr 40 crew. It was also an opportunity to get some training in for the forthcoming TP52 season.

The Mean Machine ‘classics’ Ray Davies, Jono Swain and Dirk de Ridder joined Peter de Ridder on the starting line for some fierce competition…and fierce it was. The Farr 40 class features incredibly close racing, and there’s no margin for error. Mean Machine found themselves experiencing the full impact of this as it became more and more difficult to climb up the results table.

The Machines didn’t give up and finished at the middle of the table, in fifteenth place, seventh overall in the combined scores from Key West and Acura Miami Grand Prix – not bad for the first season in the highly competitive class with 28 entries, but Mean Machine will be looking to improve on that on April for the Rolex World’s.