Quantum Racing win the Marseille Trophy

[Source: AUDI Medcup] Quantum Racing and Iberdrola’s green revolution overtook the Marseille Trophy regatta, the second event of the 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit, as the two green-hulled Botin Carkeek designs lifted the respective top trophies for the TP52 series and GP42 series.

Quantum Racing’s (USA) victory in the TP52 Series fleet is their first event win overall since becoming 2008 TP52 World Champions in Puerto Calero, and their first Audi MedCup Circuit regatta triumph since they sealed the 2008 overall title winning the Portugal Trophy in September 2008.

It was the Mistral which prevailed on the final day of scheduled racing. Out on Marseille’s Rade race areas the notorious winds whipped spumes of spray and kicked up a nasty swell. With gusts close to 40 knots it always seemed unlikely that the Marseille Trophy fleet would leave the dock in the Vieux Port. For all that, the Quantum Racing team were never far from their boat and always poised to go and do whatever needed to be done.

Quantum Racing win the Marseille Torphy. Marseille, 20 June 2010. Photo copyright Carlo Borlenghi / AUDI Medcup

Skipper-helm Terry Hutchinson (USA) acknowledged the good work of his team, not least in the behind the scenes industry from their boat-builder, from Quantum Sails themselves and the designers Botin Carkeek, which have all contributed to the 2008 champions upping their game on last year. Winning two races and, for the second year in a row, the coastal race, formed the solid foundations for the Quantum Racing victory composed over just six races sailed.

Their win halts the Emirates Team New Zealand run at five successive regattas which they set off here in Marseille last year. The American crew finished 4.5 points clear of second placed Matador (ARG).

Keys to the Quantum Racing success have been consistently good starting, strong tactics and improved boat speed, whilst the reigning champions Emirates Team New Zealand will rue a high scoring opening day when they amassed 21 of their 31 points, finishing fourth overall, their worst finish ever on the Audi MedCup Circuit. But on the overall standings for the 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit, the Kiwis’ 20 points lead which they came to France with has only been eroded by 1.5 points.

When it comes to consistency the Franco-German team on Audi A1 powered by All4One have been the class act of the season so far. Second in Cascais, the team headed by Jochen Schuemann (GER) and Sebastien Col (FRA), took third place here and lie second overall on the 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit standings.

The Conde de Godó City of Barcelona Trophy is the next regatta of the Audi MedCup Circuit 20-25 July in the Catalan capital.

Quantum Racing sails in the Marseille Torphy. Marseille, 18 June 2010. Video copyright AUDI Medcup

Marseille Trophy - TP52 Series - Overall
1. Quantum Racing (USA), 8+1+1+5+6+1,5= 22,5 points
2. Matador (ARG), 3+3+4+1+10+6= 27
3. Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), 2+9+2+10+2+4,5= 29,5
4. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 10+6+5+4+3+3= 31
5. TeamOrigin (GBR), 4+7+7+3+1+9= 31
6. Synergy (RUS), 9+2+6+7+4+7,5= 35,5
7. Bribón (ESP), 1+8+8+2+7+15= 41
8. Cristabella (GBR), 6+4+3+8+9+13,5= 43,5
9. Luna Rossa (ITA), 5+5+10+9+5+10,5= 44,5
10. Artemis (SWE), 7+11(RAF)+9+6+8+12= 53
11. Bigamist 7 (POR), 12(DNC)+12(DNC)+12(DNC)+12(DNC)+12(DNC)+18(DNC)= 78

Audi MedCup 2010 - TP52 Series - After 2 events
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 31,5+31= 62,5 points
2. Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), 51,5+29,5= 81
3. Quantum Racing (USA), 59,5+22,5= 82
4. Matador (ARG), 60+27= 87
5. TeamOrigin (GBR), 59,5+31= 90,5
6. Synergy (RUS), 64+35,5= 99,5
7. Cristabella (GBR), 65+43,5= 108,5
8. Artemis (SWE), 57+53= 110
9. Luna Rossa (ITA), 77,5+44,5= 122
10. Bribón (ESP), 88+41= 123,5
11. Bigamist 7 (POR), 88+78= 166

Manu Weiller and Iberdrola lead Platu 25 Worlds

[Source: Platu25 World Championship] Three more races sailed today in Punta Ala and the Platu25 Worlds are coming to a turning point. With its good, steady breeze and choppy seas the Tuscan racecourse provided all the excitement and the show needed for. Today’s intense and close racing was crucial to decide the Gold and Silver fleets division that will be announced before tomorrow morning and will be battling on the last two days of the Worlds.

Today it was the “Spanish armada” day, with the crews coming from the Iberian peninsula showing strength and consistency, keeping up against the Italian, Danish and German teams and consolidating their position on the general scoreboard. It is now Real Club Nautico de Palma’s Iberdrola (4,3 and 1 today); Caixanova Men skippered by Marcus Perez from Vigo (4, 2 and 7 their partial results) and Vilagarcia (with an excellent 1,2, 3) to occupy the three steps of the podium. The first Italian crew is still Brera Hotels, helmsman Sandro Montefusco, fourth, followed by Antonello Ciabatti’s VIS. The Germans from Kyra, scored a victory today but also a 17th and a 11th place, which put them in eighth position.

Manu Weiller and the rest of the Iberdrola crew are now leading the Championship. Punta Ala, 1 October 2009. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo / sailingstock.com

They are followed by Central Lechera Asturiana, with Spanish top sailor Natalia Via Dufresne at the helm, that is to say the first female skipper of the fleet. It was a good day for some but a very unlucky day for others, like the Greeks on Modus Vivendi, world reigning champions and one of the most serious pretenders to the podium. Despite all their efforts their championship has been plagued by a series of troubles: a black flag yesterday, a technical issue to a spreader today that forced them to go back ashore and not start in the second and third race, and making them lose precious points in the overall results table. The Japanese Yuki Koike and Noafumi Kamei on Bros made a big jump ahead today, passing from 47th to 17th and still having some chance to do well on the next days. Same as the team from New Zealand, Ocean Bridge Sailing, that follows closely, distanced only by a mere point.

As defined by the class rules, having sailed seven races, the crews could discard the worst result. The provisional overall results is then already calculated with a discard but does not consider any possible pending protest still to be discussed in front of the Jury. The points scored up to now will not be cancelled as the teams can have a second discard after the ninth race.

Platu 23 World Championship 2009
Overall leaderboard after 7 races (Top ten)
1. IBERDROLA 8,1,1,(bfd),4,3,1=18
2. TUYPAN CAIXANOVA MEN 3,5,3,2,4,2,(7)=19
3. VILAGARCIA 6,7,7,(bfd),1,2,3=26
4. BRERA HOTELS 5,6,1,(10),6,8,2=28
5. VIS 6,2,5,5,(24),5,7=30
6. BRIBON - MOVISTAR 1,9,4,(bfd),2,1,18=35
7. LA REVOLTOSA 10,5,8,8,2,6,(13)=39
8. KYRA 1,7,14,9,1,(17),11=43
9. CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA (19),1,4,14,9,15,1=44
10. MOJITO 10,2,8,(bfd),16,5,6=47

Iberdrola Team maiden appearance in Valencia

It could be considered an irony, but exactly 2 years after being accepted by Alinghi as Challenger of Record fro the 33rd America's Cup, the now-defunct Desafío makes its first appearance as Iberdorla Team.

Spain's main in-shore racing team is taking part in the Trofeo Reina, organized by Valencia's yacht club, with two different boats, a GP42 and a Platu 25. The GP42 yacht, crewed by the usual sailing team, raced for the first time today. Given the absence of any other GP42 yacht in the regatta there wasn't a separate class but the green boat sailed with another 5 boats in a Spanish IRC derivative.

Iberdrola Team make their first appearance after Desafío was dissolved. Valencia, 3 July 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

Iberdrola Team, former Desafío, to make first appearance in Trofeo Reina

Iberdrola Team, the former Desafío, will make its first appearance, albeit scaled down, during the Trofeo de la Reina, here in Valencia, from the 3rd until the 5th of July. The team is set to continue the participation of its main sponsor Iberdrola in the sport of sailing and will, initially, be a scaled down version of its former self.

The green team will participate with 2 yachts. The first one, the GP42, is well known in the international circuits. Still, with the absence of a separate GP42 division in this year's regatta, the former GP42 champion will race in RI 0, a Spanish rating system. She will be helmed by Laureano Wizner, as she has been for the last 3 years. The second one, a Platu 25, will race in the corresponding division and will be helmed by Spanish match racing champion Manu Weiller. The TP52 yacht has already been sold to Cristabella and raced under the British flag 2 weeks ago in Marseille.

Desafío was without any doubt the most successful team ever in the history of Spanish sailing, reaching the Louis Vuitton semifinals two years ago and getting eliminated honorably by Emirates Team New Zealand. It's a pity to witness the decline of such a team to a shadow of its former self but they have nobody to blame but themselves. The creation of the CNEV was entirely theirs and it gave BMW Oracle the golden opportunity to bring the case to the NY courts and earn a spot at the America's Cup match after two failed attempts in the 31st and 32nd editions of the world's oldest sports trophy.

Iberdrola Team will hold a press conference on Wednesday, where it will present its plans for the future. Given the absence of a conventional America's Cup and the slim chances of having one in the near future, it is rumored the Spanish electricity giant will fund a second Volvo Ocean Race team. As per the contract signed between the Region of Valencia and the VOR organizers, in the next three editions there must be at least two different Spanish teams, independent from each other.