RC44 Championship Tour, BMW Oracle Racing guida le regate di flotta
RC44Vela 25 Aprile 2009 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic=2331,300,204,,left]RC44 Championship Tour – Cagliari – Certo conta anche prenderci la mano: Larry Ellison, al timone del suo RC44 già da mercoledì, ha infatti preso immediatamente la testa dell’evento di flotta, anticipando colleghi armatori che alla ruota delle loro imbarcazioni hanno fatto ritorno dopo oltre un mese. Quasi tutti, infatti, si avvalgono di timonieri professionisti durante i primi due giorni di ogni frazione e quando si ritrovano al comando degli RC44 necessitano di almeno un paio di regate prima di raggiungere la necessaria confidenza con l’imbarcazione.
Ed è così che, dopo due regate, disputate ancora una voilta in regime di venti leggeri e instabili, ha inanellato un terzo e un primo, piazzamenti che valgono la testa della classifica con un punto di vantaggio su Team Aqua di Chris Bake, capace di pareggiare il conto dei primi e di finire quartonella seconda prova.
Ottima giornata per Puerto Calero Islas Canarias. Dopo la giornata di ieri, infatti, lo scafo di José Juan Calero è terzo, con una lunghezza di margine su Team Ceeref di Igor Lah e ben quattro su Team Sea Dubai di Yousef Lahej, due volte quinto. Attardato Artemis di Torbjorn Tornqvist e Dean Barker, partiti decisamente con il piede sbagliato.
Oggi, condizioni meteo permettendo, sono in programma due prove sulle boe e la costiera, valida per l’assegnazione del Trofeo DHL.
Cagliari RC44 Cup, fleet race, first day
1 – BMW Oracle Racing, Larry Ellison, 3-1 – 4 points
2 – Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 1-4 – 5 points
3 – Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, José Juan Calero, 2-3 – 5 points
4 – Team Ceeref, Igor Lah, 4-2 – 6 points
5 – Team Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, 5-5 – 10 points
6 – Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 7-6 – 13 points
7 – No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 6-9 – 15 points
8 – Team Austria, René Mangold, 7-8 – 15 points
9 – Team Organika, Maciej Nawrocki, 9-7 – 16 points
BMW ORACLE RACING TAKES AN EARLY LEAD IN CAGLIARI RC44 FLEET REGATTA
[RC44 Press Release] For most RC 44 team owners, the first fleet regatta coincides with their return at the helm for the first time since the last event. The transition is usually sharp, and they sometimes need a couple of regattas to get their feeling back. Larry Ellison didn’t need such an adaptation as he already steered the match race earlier in the week. He showed from the first race that he was well in the game, taking a very good start and finishing third of the first race before winning the second regatta, grabbing an early lead in the tournament.
The conditions were once again light and the wind unstable in direction today. The first race started at lunch time, with 5-7 knots of wind. Both Torbjorn Tornqvist (Artemis) and Maciej Nawrocki (Organika) went over the line too early and were called back, whilst Chris Bake (Team Aqua) and José Maria Ponce (Puerto Calero Islas Canarias) started perfectly, taking an early lead and reaching the windward mark ahead of the pack. Controlling the situation perfectly, Bake cruised to an easy victory whilst the Spaniards struggled to contain the attacks of BMW Oracle Racing and Ceeref, wiping the sweat out of their foreheads as they crossed the arrival line a few meters ahead of their pursuers in a superb second place.
At the back of the fleet, René Mangold (Team Austria) was doing his best to keep in touch with the other boats despite an apparent lack of speed upwind. Mangold courageously attacked Artemis in the last downwind leg and managed to overtake the Swedish boat, finishing an encouraging seventh in their first official fleet regatta.
The second race took place in similar light and fairly unstable conditions. Reading the course perfectly, Russell Coutts advised his helmsman to carry on to the left of the course after their excellent start, reaching the first mark in Ceeref‘s wake. The American team kept in touch with the leader during the downwind leg and rounded the leeward mark close enough to be in an optimal position to attack. Sailing its own race rather than controlling Ellison, Igor Lah lost the lead and didn’t manage to get it back despite his constant pressure during the last downwind leg.
Sailing an excellent regatta, José Juan Calero almost benefited from BMW Oracle Racing and Ceeref’s jibing dual to grab the second place. The Spaniards finsished the race in third, only one second ahead of Team Aqua.
Showing great potential, Team Sea Dubai, with Yousef Laheg at the helm for the first time, finished both races in fifth. No Way Back, Artemis, Organika and Team Austria swapped positions in the second half of the fleet in both races.
Two fleet races and the coastal DHL Trophy are scheduled today. The plan for the DHL Trophy is to sail a 6 Miles long windward – leeward course before heading back towards Cagliari on another 6 Miles long leg.
Cagliari RC44 Cup, fleet race, first day
1 – BMW Oracle Racing, Larry Ellison, 3-1 – 4 points
2 – Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 1-4 – 5 points
3 – Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, José Juan Calero, 2-3 – 5 points
4 – Team Ceeref, Igor Lah, 4-2 – 6 points
5 – Team Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, 5-5 – 10 points
6 – Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 7-6 – 13 points
7 – No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 6-9 – 15 points
8 – Team Austria, René Mangold, 7-8 – 15 points
9 – Team Organika, Maciej Nawrocki, 9-7 – 16 points
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