Puerto Calero RC44 Cup, a Team Aqua la vittoria assoluta
MonotipiaRC44Vela 1 Marzo 2009 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic=1867,250,170,,left]RC 44 Championship Tour – Puerto Calero – Si è concluso con un totale di 8 prove valide la Puerto Calero Rc44 Cup, prima tappa del circuito internazionale riservato al monotipo disegnato da Russell Coutts. In testa sin da ieri, Team Aqua di Chris Bake, protagonista della classe sin dalla prima edzione del Championship Tour, si è aggiudicato al vittoria, e le prime ruote d’oro della stagione, contenendo i tentativi di Artemis, l’unico che alla vigilia dell’ultima giornata sembrava in grado di contrastare la leadership dello scafo rappresentante i colori degli Emirati Arabi.
Le cose per Team Aqua (2-3) si sono messe bene sin dalla prima prova odierna. Artemis (5-1), infatti, non è andato oltre la quinta piazza e i giochi si sono virtualmente chiusi in quel frangente. A nulla è valso il successo ottenuto da Torbjorn Tornqvist e Dean Barker nella seconda e ultima manche odierna, anche in virtù del fatto che il vento, impalpabile per il quinto giorno consecutivo si è ritirato, obbligando Peter Reggio ad annullare la nona prova. Va comunque sottolineato che, nel momento della cancellazione, la prova era saldamente nelle mani di Team Aqua.
A completare il podio della manifestazione è stato Team Ceeref di Igor Lah e Sebastien Col, terzo con un punto di vantaggio su Team Organika di Karol Jablonski, riscattatosi dopo un evento di match race da dimenticare.
Nelle posizioni di rincalzo hanno chiuso Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 1 di José Juan Calero, quinto a due punti dallo scafo polacco, BMW Oracle Racing, passato dalla mano di Russell Coutts a quella di Daniel Calero, No Way Back di Pieter Heerema e Philppe Presti e Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 2 di Carlo Morales, fanalino di coda di una classifica che dal terzo all’ottavo posto si presenta davvero molto corta.
Fleet-race, risultati finali dopo 8 regate (inclusa prova Trofeo DHL):
1) Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 3, 6, 1, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3 – 20 points
2) Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 4, 2, 2, 2, 4, 3, 5, 1 – 24 points
3) Ceeref, Igor Lah, 2,3, 6, 4, 6, 5, 3, 5 – 37 points
4) Team Organika, Maciej Navrocki, 8, 5, 7, 7, 1, 2, 4, 4 – 38 points
5) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 1, José Juan Calero, 5, 1, 4, 5, 8, 6, 1, 6 – 40 points
6) BMW Oracle Racing, Daniel Calero, 1, 4, 5, 8, 7, 4, 8, 7 – 46 points
7) No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 7, 7, 8, 1, 5, 8, 7, 2 – 51 points
8) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 2, Carlo Morales, 6, 8, 3, 6, 3, 7, 6, 8 – 53 points
TEAM AQUA WINS THE PUERTO CALERO RC44 CUP
[RC44 Press Release] The last day of the Puerto Calero Islas Canarias RC 44 Cup was a punch-up between Team Aqua and Artemis, separated by only four points before the last three races of the event.
The conditions were once again light this morning, with 5 knots of breeze and a flat sea. At the helm of Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 1, José Juan Calero took the best start of race one. Ideally positioned at the Committee boat, the Spaniard tacked rapidly, heading to the right of the course and benefiting from a nice shift to increase its lead. Sailing well and fast, Team Aqua reached the windward mark in second, whilst Artemis was struggling in the middle of the fleet. Involved in a fierce battle for third overall against Organika and ESP 1, Ceeref managed to reach the mark in third despite a disastrous start.
Following a procession during the downwind leg, the teams headed back up to the windward mark, with the Spaniards leading the show ahead of Aqua. The right of the course was once again favourable and most teams headed there. Not very inspired this week, BMW Oracle Racing chose the left and kept loosing ground and positions, ending up last at the windward mark. The Spaniards soon after brilliantly won their second race of the event, just ahead of Team Aqua and Ceeref. Artemis crossed the line in fifth, loosing precious ground to Bake’s team as the end of the event was nearing.
The seventh fleet race took place under grey clouds and the first drops of rain. Determined to maintain the pressure on Aqua, Torbjorn Tornqvist’s crew sailed a beautiful beat to lead handsomely around the windward mark, ahead of Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back – who was finally showing its full potential. Struggling to make sense of the wind shifts, Team Aqua was way behind, rounding the mark in seventh position, on a virtual tie with Artemis… The suspense was on for the rest of the regatta. The team from the UAE sailed an excellent downwind leg and benefited from its competitors’ mistakes to climb back up to fourth – and overall leader again. Controlling the fleet, Artemis remained untouchable during the last lap. As for Bake, he gained one more place whilst Ceeref saved its provisional third place on the podium by going from last to fifth, maintaining a 1 point lead over Organika, fourth for the second time in a row.
The third and last race started soon after under a cold rain. Taking risks in order to try to win the championship, Artemis took a premature start and seemed to have lost all hopes to win the race. While the other seven boats tacked immediately to port, Torbjorn Tornqvist kept on driving out to the left of the course. When he finally tacked back to converge with the fleet, he was back in the game, trailing Aqua by a few boat lengths and keeping the suspense on. As for Igor Lah’s Ceeref, it was once again last, letting the lead – and virtual third overall – to an excellent Organika. That’s when the wind definitely collapsed, forcing Peter Reggio to cancel the race, confirming Team Aqua’s victory ahead of Artemis and Ceeref.
Six out of eight boats have won races this week, whilst both Team Aqua and the local team ESP 1 have managed to win two of them. Winner of the DHL Trophy, the fleet race ranking and second of the match race event, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua takes the lead of the Championship Tour 2009, ahead of Ceeref and Artemis.
Fleet-race, final results after 8 races including the DHL Trophy (double points):
1) Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 3, 6, 1, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3 – 20 points
2) Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 4, 2, 2, 2, 4, 3, 5, 1 – 24 points
3) Ceeref, Igor Lah, 2,3, 6, 4, 6, 5, 3, 5 – 37 points
4) Team Organika, Maciej Navrocki, 8, 5, 7, 7, 1, 2, 4, 4 – 38 points
5) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 1, José Juan Calero, 5, 1, 4, 5, 8, 6, 1, 6 – 40 points
6) BMW Oracle Racing, Daniel Calero, 1, 4, 5, 8, 7, 4, 8, 7 – 46 points
7) No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 7, 7, 8, 1, 5, 8, 7, 2 – 51 points
8) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 2, Carlo Morales, 6, 8, 3, 6, 3, 7, 6, 8 – 53 points
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