Puerto Calero RC44 Cup, Team Ceeref è sempre il migliore
MonotipiaRC44Vela 26 Febbraio 2009 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic=1844,170,250,,left]RC 44 Championship Tour – Puerto Calero – E’ sempre Ceeref l’RC44 da battere nei match race del Championship Tour, il circuito riservato al monotipo disegnato da Russell Coutts. Nonostante il cambio di timoniere – a James Spithill è succeduto Sebastien Col – lo scafo si Igor Lah ha aperto la stagione 2009 nel migliore dei modi, vincendo tutti i duelli disputati nell’ambito della prima tappa, la Puerto Calero RC44 Cup.
Oggi come ieri, il meteo ha riservato condizioni al limite. Il vento ha raramente superato i cinque nodi e Peter Luigi Reggio è stato costretto a numerosi cambi di percorso per riuscire a concludere il Round Robin prima che sul campo di regata scendesse l’oscurità. Iniziati alle 13.30, i duelli si sono infatti protratti sino a pomeriggio inoltrato.
Gli ultimi ad arrendersi allo strapotere di Col, vincitore del girone con ampio anticipo, sono stati Team Aqua, guidato da un aggressivo Cameron Appleton sul secondo gradino del podio grazie a uno score di 5 vittorie e 2 sconfitte, e BMW Oracle Racing, terzo con il medesimo punteggio ma penalizzato dalla sconfitta patita nello scontro diretto. Tra i protagonisti in positivo della giornata va citato anche Dean Barker su Artemis; lo skipper di Emirates Team New Zealand si è dovuto accontentare della quarta posizione, battuto proprio sul finire da Ceeref e da BMW Oracle Racing. Sotto le aspettative il rendimento di uno specialista come Karol Jablonski, settimo su Team Organika, vincitore di un solo match sui sette disputati.
Match-race, risultati finali:
1) Ceeref, Sébastien Col, 7/0 – 7 points
2) Team Aqua, Cameron Appleton, 5/2 – 5 points
3) BMW Oracle Racing, Russell Coutts, 5/2 – 5 points
4) Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 4/3 – 4 points
5) No Way Back, Philippe Presti, 4/3 – 4 points
6) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 2, Carlos Morales, 1/6 – 1 point
7) Team Organika, Karol Jablonski 1/6 – 1 point
8) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 1, José Maria Ponce, 1/6 – 0 point (1 pt di penalità)
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La seconda giornata della Puerto Calero RC44 Cup. Video courtesy RC44.
TEAM CEEREF, WITH SEBASTIEN COL, REMAINS THE BEST RC44 MATCH RACE TEAM
[RC44 Press Release] Winner of last years’ match race championship, the Slovenian team Ceeref started the 2009 championship in unknown – yet very reliable – hands with substitute driver Sébastien Col. The French match race champion proved to be the right person, leading his new team to victory and dominating the tournament by winning all of his matches.
The conditions were once again light and irregular today in Puerto Calero, and Race Officer Peter “Luigi” Reggio did his very best to conclude the round robin before the night, changing the course constantly to match the wind direction changes.
The first flight of the day – the fourth altogether – finally started at 13.30 after numerous postponements. Both Team Aqua and No Way Back had fairly easy rides against BMW Oracle Racing (penalised by a premature start) and Organika. As for Artemis and Ceeref, they had to contain the attacks of the two Spanish entries, Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 1 and 2, sailing aggressively and keeping in touch with the best. Led by Philippe Presti, team No Way Back was still unbeaten at this stage, which is a great achievement considering the fact that it is their first RC 44 regatta. The rest of the day proved however to be harder for them.
Ceeref made the break in the fifth flight after beating BMW Oracle Racing with a very comfortable margin and taking a two points lead over their closest opponents. The sky started to turn grey, looking as threatening as some of the manoeuvres attempted by the two Spanish teams – directly opposed to each other during the sixth flight. The outcome of this friendly – or was it? – dual was a victory by the Spanish match race champion José Maria Ponce on Olympic champion Luis Doreste, ESP 1 beating ESP 2.
At this stage, Ceeref could not be reached anymore and a fierce battle for the second and third podium positions started between Team Aqua, Artemis, No Way Back and BMW Oracle Racing. Very solid till then, Artemis – helmed by owner Torbjorn Tornqvist with Dean Barker’s advice – suffered in the end of the day, loosing to Ceeref and BMW Oracle Racing. Unlucky earlier in the day, Russell Coutts and his team got it right against Philippe Presti, Torben Tornqvist and Karol Jablonski, climbing back to third overall. As for Team Aqua, brilliant throughout the tournament, it finishes the event in the second spot, having only lost to Seb Col and Philippe Presti. A good season start!
Match-race, final results:
1) Ceeref, Sébastien Col, 7/0 – 7 points
2) Team Aqua, Cameron Appleton, 5/2 – 5 points
3) BMW Oracle Racing, Russell Coutts, 5/2 – 5 points
4) Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 4/3 – 4 points
5) No Way Back, Philippe Presti, 4/3 – 4 points
6) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 2, Carlos Morales, 1/6 – 1 point
7) Team Organika, Karol Jablonski 1/6 – 1 point
8) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 1, José Maria Ponce, 1/6 -0 point (incl. one penalty)
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