[singlepic=2793,300,204,,left]Audi MedCup 2009 – Marsiglia – Penultima giornata di regate al Trofeo di Marsiglia all’insegna del vento leggero e ballerino, con il comitato di Giuria che per effettuare la seconda gara è stato costretto a spostare il campo di regata dalla Rada Nord alla Rada Sud. Un vento difficile, che ha comunque permesso al team di Synergy di essere il vero protagonista della giornata, confermando quanto di buono fatto vedere nella regata costiera di ieri. I russi, con il nostro Francesco Mongelli nel ruolo di navigatore, conquistano oggi un primo e un secondo posto, che gli permettono di fare un enorme balzo in avanti in classifica, passando dall’ottavo al quarto posto con 53 punti.
Bene anche Emirates Team New Zealand, che dopo il sesto posto in gara-8, nella seconda regata torna a navigare ai suoi livelli andando a vincere la prova. Con la vittoria di oggi, la quarta su nove sfide nel Trofeo di Marsiglia, i Kiwi con 21.5 punti allungano ancora in classifica generale, e con solo due gare rimaste mettono l’ipoteca sulla vittoria finale.
Il secondo classificato, Quantum Racing, si allontana infatti ulteriormente dalla vetta, e si trova ora, con 37.5 punti, a ben 16 lunghezze di distanza dai neozelandesi. Per il team di Terry Hutchinson, giornata fra alti e bassi, con gli americani che hanno chiuso gara-8 in terza posizione e gara-9 solo in ottava, a causa di un individual recall in partenza. Individual recall in gara-9 anche per Bigamist 7, che chiude solo decimo la regata e non riesce a replicare il risultato della prima sfida, chiusa al secondo posto dietro a Synergy. Due quarti posti, invece, per il terzo classificato, Matador, che dopo la pessima costiera di ieri recupera oggi tre punti sul secondo in classifica generale, Quantum Racing. Con solo 7 punti di distanza, fra americani e argentini è dunque ancora tutto aperto per la conquista del secondo gradino del podio.
Per le italiane, luci e ombre per Vasco Vascotto, nono in classifica generale, che chiude gara-8 all’ottavo posto e gara-9 al quinto. Grande delusione per lo skipper triestino nella seconda regata, con il suo Pisco Sour III penalizzato per un errato ingresso in boa mentre stava lottando con Artemis per il terzo posto. Il team di Russel Coutts non è stato brillantissimo oggi, con un settimo e un terzo posto che fa slittare la barca svedese al quinto posto in classifica generale. Nona e settima posizione, invece, per Audi TP52 Powered by Q8, decimo in classifica.
Risultati però ancora tutti temporanei, visto che al momento dell’invio del comunicato stampa, sono in corso ben quattro proteste: due fra i team russi di Valars III e Synergy, che si protestano a vicenda, e due contro Emirates Team New Zealand (da Quantum e Matador).
GP42 Series Made in Italy
Parla sempre più italiano la GP42 Series. Nelle due regate odierne, una vittoria a testa per i due team nostrani, Roma e Airis. Nella prima regata, è il team con Paolo Cian al timone a spuntarla davanti ai connazionali e a Caser Endesa. Con questa vittoria, la quarta su otto regate disputate, Roma si avvicina dunque sempre di più alla vittoria del Trofeo di Marsiglia.
Seconda regata vinta invece da Airis, che dopo le prime due giornate in ombra, oggi torna finalmente in forma, riprendendo a regatare ai livelli di sempre. Dopo il secondo posto in gara-7, dietro a Roma, Airis va infatti a conquistare la sua prima vittoria nelle acque francesi, davanti a Islas Canarias Puerto Calero e a Roma.
In classifica generale, leadership dunque per il team timonato da Paolo Cian, che con 14 punti affronterà l’ultimo giorno di regate con ben 8 punti di vantaggio su Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, seconda con 22 punti. Terzo posto in classifica generale per Caser Endesa, autore oggi solo di un terzo e quarto posto.
Così come per i TP52, anche per la GP42 Series i risultati sono temporanei, con tre proteste attualmente in corso contro Airis, Caser Endesa e Turismo Madrid.
Audi MedCup, Trofeo Città di Marsiglia
TP52 Series
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 1-3-1-2-1-2-4.5-6-1, 21.5 punti
2. Quantum Racing (USA), 8-5-2-6-3-1-1.5-3-8, 37.5 punti
3. Matador (ARG), 2-6-4-1-2-5-16.5-4-4, 44.5 punti
4. Synergy (RUS), 3-9-9-7-6-10-6-1-2, 53 punti
5. Artemis (SWE), 7-2-8-5-5-3-13,5-7-3, 53,5 punti
GP42
1. Roma (ITA), 1-2-1-3-1-2-1-3, 14 punti
2. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP), 2-1-3-1-5-4-4-2, 22 punti
3. Caser-Endesa (ESP), 3-3-4-5-2-1-3-4, 25 punti
4. Turismo Madrid (ESP), 4-4-2-4-3-3-6-5, 31 punti
5. Airis (ITA), 5-7-7-2-4-5-2-1, 33 punti
STEPPING CLOSING TO VICTORY
[Audi MedCup Press Release] Gained from two contrasting races today, a sixth and a first for Emirates Team New Zealand was enough for the Kiwi team to extend their overall lead in the Marseille Trophy regatta to sixteen points going in to the final day.
Dalton confirms that their mood, even with a comfortable lead into the last day, is focused but even, just as prevails through their America’s Cup campaigns, win or lose, looking at the long game rather than any short term outward satisfaction: “Nothing changes because you are not playing for the regatta, you are playing for the whole thing, and even if you were sailing for the regatta it any case we would just go out and sail identical to how we did today.”
After the excitement and high speed thrills of Friday’s TP52 Series’ coastal race to Cassis, what started as a hot, slow and sticky day as Quantum Racing appeared to have increased the pressure on the overall leaders when they posted a third place in Race 8, three places ahead of the Kiwi team, ended with a sting in the tail.
Dean Barker (NZL) and the Kiwis bounced back with their fourth win of the regatta while their nearest rivals pulled the pin too early on their start.
Jumping the gun, Quantum Racing (USA) rescued an eighth just as they did in the first race when they committed the same mistake.
But the outstanding performance of the day was that of Synergy (RUS). With Cameron Dunn (NZL) calling tactics they posted a first and second to elevate themselves to fourth in the Marseille Trophy standings.
In the GP42 Series, racing on the same race tracks in the same conditions the Italian Roma‘s first and third ensure they, too, are in the box seats with what should be two final races to complete.
Quantum Racing (USA), the American team who are the Audi MedCup champions had looked consistently strong since they looked to have ironed out the starting line flaws which impaired their early races here. On the back of a 3,1,1,3 from four starts including a win in the 40 miles coastal race, they looked to be posting a growing threat to Emirates Team New Zealand.
In hot sunshine, the light 9-10 knots SSW’ly breeze seemed to promise a decent day of racing with the TP52 Series and GP42 Series fleets moved to the north Rade area for the first time, racing in the western approach to the bay of Marseille.
A long delay and move back to the Rade sud was rewarded with a quickstep second race on 16-19 knots of breeze. Emirates Team New Zealand and Synergy were able to hook into the shift and extra wind pressure on the left side of the track, with the regatta leaders leading all the way to the finish.
In the first race, with Frioul islands now to the left of the windward-leeward race area it seemed the left paid best for those who were smart enough and early enough to reach it. Synergy and Bigamist were among the first to break from the left, pin end of the line and were able to round the first windward turn in first and second places, while a clear air strategy, staying out of the higher risk traffic areas making a well timed starboard approach on starboard allowed Quantum Racing to round third, which they held to the finish.
Emirates Team New Zealand were often on the back foot during the first race after rounding seventh at the first turn. At the second leeward mark as they rounded overlapped with Artemis (NZL) outside them there was an incident which saw the series leaders make a subsequent penalty turn.
Dropping Valars 3 (RUS) as a result, they could only make tenth at the top mark but with Ray Davies (NZL) and Adam Beashel (NZL) reading the better breeze that remained on the left in the folding breeze, they were able to rescue an important sixth place.
Synergy scored their first win on these waters since the Reichel Pugh design won last year in the colours of Larry Ellison as USA-17, with Bigamist 7 helping their prospects of a podium finish here in Marseille when they finished second. The Portuguese then slumped to a tenth, making the same mistake alongside Quantum when they both were over early.
A long delay and move back to the Rade sud was rewarded with a quickstep second race in 16-19 knots of breeze. Emirates Team New Zealand and Synergy were able to hook into the shift on the left side of the track, with the regatta leaders leading all the way to the finish.
Airis wins the day with 1-2
The first GP42 Series race today was sailed in what appeared to be a building seabreeze. The two Italian entries, Roma and Airis, led the charge to the left side of the windward leg in search of more pressure, leading the pack around the top mark and through most of the race. But the breeze started to lighten down to 6-8 knots on the final run to the finish.
As the breeze dropped it was interesting to see the fleet break off into pairs: Roma gybing to cover Airis for the win, Islas Canarias Puerto Calero valiantly trying to tangle up with Caser Endesa but unable to get passed for third, and Turismo Madrid first passing, but then getting passed, by the Japanese on Swing to fall into last.
For the second race of the day, the race course area was relocated to the east and the seabreeze once again freshened to 12-17 knots. Off the start, most of the class kept together in an incredibly tight cluster on the first weather leg, heading off to the left side in search of more pressure and a left shift. This was indeed one tight fur ball, as all four boats in this group were already displaying their protest flags just minutes into the race.
Once again, the competitive horns came out, and four teams got entangled so much with each other that Airis, who had followed the pack around the top mark and gybed away early to avoid the fray, came out of the left like a vision, all-white kite backlit in the dying light, on right-of-way starboard tack, and charging fast at the pack just 50 metres from the finish.
Roma, who had emerged from the fray in front, had to gybe to avoid Airis, but not without threatening to take her breeze, so Airis helmsman Cameron Appleton simply gybed away to port to the favored end of the finish line to take the win by a length.
While the order in the standings has remained unchanged, and Roma has what would seem like a comfortable lead, the Series points have tightened a bit so that it’s all to play for in tomorrow’s two remaining races of the series.
Audi MedCup, Trofeo Città di Marsiglia
TP52 Series
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 1-3-1-2-1-2-4.5-6-1, 21.5 pt.
2. Quantum Racing (USA), 8-5-2-6-3-1-1.5-3-8, 37.5 pt.
3. Matador (ARG), 2-6-4-1-2-5-16.5-4-4, 44.5 pt.
4. Synergy (RUS), 3-9-9-7-6-10-6-1-2, 53 pt.
5. Artemis (SWE), 7-2-8-5-5-3-13,5-7-3, 53,5 pt.
GP42
1. Roma (ITA), 1-2-1-3-1-2-1-3, 14 pt.
2. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP), 2-1-3-1-5-4-4-2, 22 pt.
3. Caser-Endesa (ESP), 3-3-4-5-2-1-3-4, 25 pt.
4. Turismo Madrid (ESP), 4-4-2-4-3-3-6-5, 31 pt.
5. Airis (ITA), 5-7-7-2-4-5-2-1, 33 pt.
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