TP52 World Championship – Palma di Maiorca – E’ di Quantum Racing la prima leadership del Campionato Mondiale TP52. Lo scafo di Terry Hutchinson (Morgan Larson e Mark Mendelblatt nell’afterguard) ha preso la testa della classifica grazie a un quinto e un primo, risultati rimediati nel corso di una giornata caratterizzata dal vento leggero e instabile, che ha vsto gli equipaggi impegnati tra le boe sin quasi all’imbrunire e i tattici obbligati agli straordinari. Quantum Racing, ottimo secondo tra le boe dell’Audi MedCup 2009, è seguito a un solo punto di distanza da Synergy (2-5) del nostro Francesco Mongelli e da Matador (3-4), a bordo del quale le chiamate sono di Francesco Bruni.
Una classifica piuttosto “classica”, quindi, che dopo la prima manche parlava una lingua sconosciuta, visto il successo ottenuto nella prova d’esordio da Cristabella (1-9): un colpo a sorpresa, dato il ruolino di marcia tenuto dalla baca di John Cook nel corso della stagione 2009. A mettere le ali all’ex Desafio Espanol potrebbe essere stata l’aria di Palma di Maiorca, dove nell’agosto del 2008, sotto la guida di Terry Hutchinson, l’allora Iberdrola si era aggiudicata la Coppa del Re. Ma le barche, si sa, non hanno memoria: più facile quindi pensare a un John Cutler ispirato, bravo a leggere un salto di vento sulla destra e ha conquistare la testa della regata dopo una partenza piuttosto modesta. Un risultato storico per il team di John Cook, lontano dal gradino più alto del podio dal 2006, quando l’equipaggio britannico trionfò in una memorabile prova costiera, disputata attorno all’isola di Formentera.
Vinta la prima prova, Cristabella è tornato nelle retrovie, chiudendo la seconda prova in nona posizione, piazzamento che l’ha fatta scivolare al quinto posto, dietro a un sempre temibile Bribon (7-2), passato dalle mani di Thierry Peponnet a quelle di Gonzalo Arujo.
Chi nell’ambito di questa prima giornata ha deluso è stato l’equipaggio di Artemis (8-3) ripresosi nella seconda prova ma incapace di scrollarsi per il momento di dosso il fardello degli 8 punti rimediati nella manche d’apertura. Lo scafo di Torbjorn Tornqvist divide la sesta posizione con Audi TP52 Powered by Q8 (4-7).
TP52 World Championship
1. Quantum Racing, T.Hutchinson, 5-1, pt. 6
2. Synergy, S.Pichuguin, 2-5, pt. 7
3. Matador, A.Roemmers, 3-4, pt. 7
4. Bribón, G.Araujo, 7-2. pt. 9
5. Cristabella, J.Cook, 1-9, pt. 10
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Video courtesy Quantum Racing TV.
TP52 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, QUANTUM RACING LEADS AFTER DAY ONE
[TP52 World Championship Press Release] The autumn evening sun was already dipping low in the sky as Quantum Racing took the winning gun for the second of two races today at the TP52 World Championships off Palma, Mallorca. Their win, paired with a fifth from the first heat ensures the current world champions lead overall by a single point.
Even if the sea breeze took its time to build and only peaked with short spells offering 11 knots and mostly averaged around 6-8 knots, it proved a tricky afternoon over which the usual Palma tactical conventions did not always hold true, and consistency in the ten boat fleet across these first two windward-leeward races proved elusive.
After two races Quantum Racing lead the Russian team on Synergy who took a second and fifth and are matched on the same seven points tally by Alberto Roemmers’ current Copa del Rey champions on Matador who took a third and a fourth.
Real Club Nautico de Palma member John Cook on the helm of Cristabella – which last year won the Copa del Rey as Iberdrola with Terry Hutchinson as tactician – triumphed in the first race. The British crew, with Manchester export John Cutler as tactician, recognised the additional wind pressure and small shift to the right of the course on the first beat, and after a modest start, were able to cross the fleet two thirds of the way up the leg. They lead at the windward turn by a clear 40 metres from Synergy and went on to win by 22 seconds with Matador third.
It proved a morale boosting opening for the British owner Cook who is current chairman of the TP52 fleet and has been a member of the host club for more than 15 years, where he has based six different Cristabella yachts, three TP52’s since 2005.
Previous to this the Cristabella crew’s most memorable victory was in 2006 when the they won one of the most exciting coastal races ever of the MedCup Circuit, racing around Formentera in 2006. And it is Cristabella’s best World Championships race yet, after a second placing in 2007 in Porto Cervo.
It was after 18.00 in the early evening when Quantum Racing’s afterguard of Morgan Larson and Mark Mendelblatt conspired to read the opening beat of the second race to best effect, calling the favourable left shift on the left of the track ahead of the slight extra pressure on the right. The current champions were ahead at the windward mark to lead local favourites Bribón across the finish.
With Gonzalo Araujo steering, the Spanish boat was well placed off the pin end of the start line and also profited to the left on the first beat, able to hold off the 2007 champions Artemis who took third.
TP52 World Championship
1. Quantum Racing, T.Hutchinson, 5-1, pt. 6
2. Synergy, S.Pichuguin, 2-5, pt. 7
3. Matador, A.Roemmers, 3-4, pt. 7
4. Bribón, G.Araujo, 7-2. pt. 9
5. Cristabella, J.Cook, 1-9, pt. 10
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