Audi MedCup, domani il via
Audi MedCupTP52Vela 11 Maggio 2010 Zerogradinord 0
Audi MedCup – Cascais – Tutto quasi pronto nel Marina di Cascais per l’inizio del Trofeo del Portogallo, Cascais, primo evento del circuito Audi MedCup 2010. Ad aprire le danze saranno, domani, le 11 barche della TP52 Series, che si sfideranno nella prima practice race ufficiale dell’anno.
Tanta l’attesa per vedere all’opera le imbarcazioni con la nuova configurazione prevista dalla box rule 2010: fra le novità più interessanti, spiccano la sostituzione del tangone con il bompresso, la randa quadrata, il minor peso a bordo (da 1273 a 1050 kg) e la presenza fissa di un ospite a bordo durante tutte le regate.
Mercoledì, per la TP52 Series, sarà poi il momento della prima regata valida per la classifica, con i cinque team della GP42 Series che si sfideranno nella propria practice race. Prevista per sabato, invece, la regata costiera, con i paesaggi e le acque dell’Oceano Atlantico pronti a regalare emozioni sotto ogni punto di vista. Per quanto riguarda invece le previsioni meteo, per oggi si attendono venti da nord-nordovest intorno ai 12-13 nodi d’intensità, con l’aria che sembra destinata a crescere nei prossimi giorni.
Fra i team presenti in Portogallo, esordio nel circuito Audi MedCup per l’inglese Team Origin, timonato da Ben Ainslie, e l’italiana Luna Rossa, pronta a tenere alta la bandiera tricolore durante tutto il circuito. Il team di Prada potrà contare su molti velisti esperti capitanati dalla coppia brasiliana di medagliati olimpici composta da Torben Grael e Robert Scheidt, rispettivamente tattico e timoniere dell’equipaggio. Tante anche le presenze italiane, da Matteo Plazzi, reduce dalla felice esperienza sul trimarano di BMW Oracle Racing in America’s Cup, a Lorenzo Mazza e Claudio Celon. E in generale, come nelle stagioni passate, anche quest’anno la compagine di velisti nostrani è davvero ricca, con presenze importanti in quasi tutti i team. La battaglia sarà dunque molta dura, con il livello generale del circuito cresciuto ancora di più: fra medagliati olimpici e atleti di America’s Cup, l’Audi MedCup quest’anno più che mai rappresenterà l’elite della vela mondiale. Non sarà facile quindi per Emirates Team New Zealand, campione nel 2009, ripetersi in questa stagione: le insidie saranno ovunque, con Matador, Quantum Racing, Artemis, Cristabella, Team Origin, Audi A1 Powered by All4One, Synergy, Bribon, Bigamist 7 e la stessa Luna Rossa, pronte a dare il meglio nel circuito.
Ma le novità per l’Audi MedCup non si fermano qui: da quest’anno infatti ilcCircuito vedrà la presenza della propria televisione ufficiale, in onda durante tutte le giornate degli eventi sul sito web www.medcup.org. La diretta, comincerà 10 minuti prima dell’inizio di ogni regata. Si comincerà domani, alle 12.50 locali, le 13.50 italiane.
AUDI MEDCUP, ONE DAY TO GO
[Audi MedCup Press Release] As the welcome spring sunshine warmed the docksides around Portugal’s Marina de Cascais, pushing the mercury back up to more seasonable daytime values, so the tension is also rising as the start of the 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit is just two days away.
Wednesday will see the first points-scoring races for the TP52 Series. Today (Monday) saw all 11 TP52’s on the open waters off Cascais making best use of the excellent 10-13 knots of NW’ly breeze.
For the well prepared crews this was an ideal opportunity to speed-check against what are considered the form teams. Others are still up very much up against the clock in their quest to be fully competitive by the time that Race 1 of 2010 comes under starter’s orders at 1300hrs local time.
Informal racing since Sunday seems to have confirmed that 2009’s prime movers have given nothing away in the new 2010 TP52 configurations. Emirates Team New Zealand, the defending champions, won at least two of Sunday’s ad-hoc skirmishes, and Matador, fourth overall in 2009, have been quick showing the benefit of their solid training and early season race programme in Palma and Valencia.
Three TP52 teams are new to the Audi MedCup Circuit. Britain’s Team Origin have four times Olympic medal winning Ben Ainslie steering the only new build TP52 boat this season. Their radical looking design, the first MedCup TP52 by Argentina’s Juan Kouyoumdjian is using small winglets on the back edge of their keel bulb. By all accounts, so far the not-so-secret weapon may be contributing to their good upwind speed, but the jury is still out on their downwind speed. And, for all that their afterguard have a clutch of seven Olympic medals between them, the majority of the crew are rookies when it comes to the finer points of setting up and racing in the TP52 class.
Sunday was just the first day of training on board the Franco-German Audi A1 powered by All4One and Monday morning Germany’s four times Olympic medallist Jochen Schuemann, skipper and tactician, admitted that they still had technical issues to deal with, as well as trying to get their crew-work up to speed before Race 1 gets under way. Schuemann is no stranger to the class, skippering Platoon powered by Team Germany to fifth place.
Even if the most medalled of all the Olympians here, Brasil’s Torben Grael has had just one day sailing so far with Italy’s TP52 newcomers Luna Rossa, but their sailing team is one of the strongest, their 2008 build Rolf Vrolijk design is a good allround boat and they are tipped to be serious contenders this season.
A relatively moderate, modest start may be expected for the start of the regatta but winds are forecast to increase through into the weekend offering the promise of the exciting, adrenalin fuelled action which the Audi MedCup Circuit has been known for.
Ahead may be a long, gruelling season of up to 50 races at five regattas in four European countries, but all contenders in Cascais know the importance of making the best possible start. With four America?s Cup teams amidst the 11 strong TP52 Series fleet, and a high number of Olympic medallists, the bar is set still higher than ever.
The five strong GP42 fleet is assembling in readiness for their first practise race, scheduled for Wednesday.
For the first time the live Audi MedCup TV programming starts Wednesday on www.medcup.org, beginning 10 minutes before racing is scheduled.
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