BMW ORACLE wins fleet race event and overall Cagliari RC 44 Cup

[Source: RC44]There were no races in Cagliari today due to the lack of wind. Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts’ BMW ORACLE Racing are the grand winners of the event, ahead of Chris Bake’s Team Aqua and Igor Lah’s Ceeref.

The wind carried on playing tricks with the Cagliari Cup organisers today. Despite a good forecast and some promising moments, Peter “Luigi” Reggio had no other option but to send all the teams back to port at 2:30 PM.

Winner of the fleet regatta, Larry Ellison’s BMW ORACLE Racing also grabs the Cagliari RC 44 Cup – the combined fleet & match race ranking - ahead of Chris Bake’s Team Aqua and Igor Lah’s Ceeref. Aqua, Ceeref and Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis finish the event on a tie, with seven points each; however the fleet race results are taken into account to separate the teams on equal points, hence offering the silver to Bake and the bronze to Lah.

The Cagliari RC 44 Cup has not offered a wide range of sailing conditions to the teams. Indeed, all the races have taken place in less than 12 knots of wind, and often in very light conditions. Nevertheless, the races have been exciting and the teams seem to be closer than ever. Also interesting to note that the results are very different from the last regatta in Puerto Calero, proving that the Class’s one-design concept gives equal chances to all the teams and that the newcomers have the opportunity to get excellent results, as shown this week by the Calero brothers and their team on board “Islas Canarias Puerto Calero”.

The next regatta will take place in Lake Traunsee, a mountain lake located in Austria, on May 27 – 31.

Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison, winners of the overall event. Cagliari, 26 April 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

They said:

Larry Ellison, helmsman, BMW ORACLE Racing: “I am very happy, because it was really tough behind the wheel this week. The sailing conditions were tricky, but it was the same for all of us. The level in this Class is very tough, and the other owners are very experienced. The team did a great job, and Russell is a fantastic tactician.”

Russell Coutts, tactician, BMW ORACLE Racing: “The standard of the fleet is getting higher. Most of the teams have similar sails, and they use similar settings, which keeps all the boats very close from each other. This regatta was very difficult for the helmsmen, because of the waves and the light breeze. It is also an event that rewards the teams who work well together; those who manage to constantly adapt their settings to the mode required by the situation. I am absolutely convinced that the next regatta, on smooth water, will open opportunities to other teams.”

Chris Bake, helmsman, Team Aqua: “We were on good form and this is a nice follow through from the last event in Lanzarote. I am really happy with our team: everyone is very focused and cooperative; it’s a strong team, and we also have a very good time together. Cameron Appleton is the pillar of this team, he does a great job.”

René Mangold, helmsman, Team Austria: “The result is kind of what we expected for our first regatta. But I saw good signs and I know what we have done wrong. I am very happy that we have joined this circuit. Everyone has been helping us, all the teams are friendly; it is really great.”

Karol Jablonski, tactician, Organika: “We are quite happy with our result in the match race, because we are getting closer and closer to the best teams. We are definitely there. We still have some work to do in the fleet regatta, but we are coming together; we just need a little bit more time.”

Cagliari Cup, final results:

(Ranking, Name of team, match race, fleet race, total points)

1) BMW ORACLE Racing, 4, 1 – 5 points
2) Team Aqua, 5, 2 - 7 points
3) Ceeref, 3, 4 - 7 points
4) Artemis, 1, 6 - 7 points
5) Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, 6, 3 - 9 points
6) No Way Back, 2, 7 - 9 points
7) Team Sea Dubai, 8, 5, – 13 points
8) Team Organika, 7, 8 – 15 points
9) Team Austria, 9, 9 - 18 points