Omega Auckland Match Cup – Auckland – Con lo svolgimento dell’ultima sessione di prove si è conclusa la lunga attesa che ha condotto gli appassionati e gli skipper alla vigilia della prima giornata dell’Omega Auckland Match Cup, evento di match race che anticipa di una settimana appena lo svolgimento del Louis Vuitton Trophy.
A darsi battaglia saranno dieci team di caratura internazionale, divisi tra giovani talenti e vecchie conoscenze dell’uno contro uno di altissimo livello. Tra questi non mancherà Adam Minoprio. Il numero uno della ranking list, nonochè campione del mondo in carica, si è presentato da par suo, vincendo la serie di prova a dispetto delle logiche scaramantiche. “Eravamo un pò preoccupati circa la superstizione che consiglia di non vincere le regate di prova” ha poi ammesso il talentuoso kiwi.
Giovani talenti da una parte e veterani come Dean Barker dall’altra. Lo skipper di Emirates Team New Zealand è alla testa di una nutrita schiera di volti noti. Tra questi non mancheranno Ben Ainslie, Francesco Bruni, Sebastien Col, Karol Jablonski e Chris Dickson, al rientro sulla scena internazionale dopo alcune stagioni di anonimato.
Per Grant Dalton, CEO di Emirates Team New Zealand ed ideatore dell’evento, il bello dell’Omega Auckland Match Cup è il fatto che da grande visibilità e permette di misurarsi ad armi pari a quei timonieri che, pur avendo grande esperienza, solitamente sono lonatni dalle boe del circuito internazionale.
OMEGA AUCKLAND MATCH CUP, THE EVENT WILL START TOMORROW
[Omega Auckland Match Cup] Fierce duels were fought on the Waitemata Harbour during a practice session for the Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta today gave notice that fireworks can be expected over the next four days as the invited field of top international match racers do battle for the top honours.
A mix of America’s Cup experience plus rising young talent is represented in the field of 10 crews – and the young guns fired the first shots when they took out a two-race pro-am regatta at the conclusion of the practice session.
Adam Minoprio and his crew, who took the match race circuit by storm last year and are ranked No. 1 in the world, defied the superstition against winning a pre-regatta contest. “We were a bit concerned about that,” he admitted, but shrugged off the curse by announcing he was ready to take on some of the legends of match racing who have assembled for this contest.
‘We are eager to get into it and take them on,’ he said.
Perhaps speaking for the America’s Cup contingent represented in the line-up, Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker threw down the challenge to the young up and comers. “We are keen to get a piece of them,” he said. “We have seen their results and they are going very strong. We are looking forward to getting into the racing.”
Emirates Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton, who conceived of the regatta, said it was all about giving some of the world’s top match racers an opportunity to sail off against each other. Many of the world’s best match racers were not at the top of the official rankings because they did not compete regularly on the circuit, he said, hence the idea of inviting some of the best names in the business to Auckland to go head to head and show what they were made of.
Skippers who have accepted invitations to compete are: Dean Barker (NZL – Emirates Team New Zealand); Ben Ainslie (GBR – Team Origin); Francesco Bruni (ITA – Azzurra Sailing Team); Sebastian Col (FRA – All4One); Karol Jablonski (POL – former Desafio Español); Magnus Holmberg (SWE – former Victory Challenge); Chris Dickson (NZL – former BMW Oracle Racing); Bertrand Pacé (FRA – Aleph Racing) ; Adam Minoprio (NZL – BlackMatch Racing); Torvar Mirsky (AUS – Mirsky Racing Team).
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