RC44 Championship Tour, la ruota d’oro è di Banco Espirito Santo
RC44Vela 14 Dicembre 2008 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic=1095,250,170,,left]RC44 Championship Tour – Puerto Calero – Assente dall’ultima tappa del circuito, Team Hiroshi-Città di Milano, leader della manifestazione sin dalle prime battute, è stato scavalcato sul filo di lana da Team Banco Espirito Santo e Team Ceeref che, con il loro duello protrattosi sino all’ultimo bordo, hanno calamitato l’attenzione degli appassionati verso una Gold Cup caratterizzata da condizioni meteo al limite. Anche oggi, infatti, dalle montagne che si affacciano sulla costa, sono arrivate raffiche di vento prossime ai trenta nodi. Difficile per i tattici prevederne i salti, generati dalla particolare orografia dell’isola.
Non è bastato a Team Ceeref confermarsi sui livelli dei giorni precedenti per raggiungere l’obiettivo principe: la vittoria assoluta. Nonostante la vittoria della Gold Cup, infatti, l’equipaggio di Igor Lah e James Spithill non è riuscito a raggiungere Banco Espirito Santo in classifica generale. Secondo di tappa, l’RC44 di Patrick De Barros e Russell Coutts ha così messo il suo sigillo sulle pagine del libro che racconta la stagione 2008 e se n’è tornato a casa con la ruota d’oro destinata al vincitore.
Terzo, nelle acque lanzarotine, Team Aqua. L’equipaggio di Chris Bake ha sperato sino all’ultimo di poter soffiare la terza posizione assoluta al team di Armando Giulietti, ma si è dovuto accontentare della quarta posizione, a due sole lunghezze da Hiroshi.
RC44 Championship Tour
Puerto Calero RC44 Gold Cup, regate di flotta, classifica provvisoria
1 – Team Ceeref, 1,1,2,1,2,4,4,3,4,1 pt. 23
2 – Banco Espirito Santo, 5,4,3,3,3,1,3,1,2,3 pt. 28
3 – Team Aqua, 2,2,4,4,1,6,5,2,1,5 pt. 32
4 – BMW Oracle Racing, 4,3,1,2,5,2,6,5,3,2 pt. 33
5 – Artemis, 3,7,7,7,4,3,1,4,6,7 pt. 49
6 – Islas Canaria Puerto Calero, 6,5,5,5,6,5,2,7,5,4 pt. 50
RC44 Championship Tour, classifica finale
1 – Team Banco Espirito Santo, 40,35,25,12,14,28 pt. 154
2 – Team Ceeref, 36,42,19,13,26,23 pt. 159
3 – Team Hiroshi-Città di Milano, 21,19,32,11,17,80 pt. 180
4 – Team Aqua, 45,39,20,27,19,32 pt. 182
5 – BMW Oracle Racing, 88,32,40,24,25,33 pt. 242
seguono dieci equipaggi
ARTEMIS GOES THE DISTANCE TO TAKE DHL TROPHY
[singlepic=1094,250,170,,left][RC44 Press Release] Having dominated proceedings all week in the Puerto Calero RC44 Gold Cup, Igor Lah nearly let victory slip from his grasp as Team Ceeref struggled to make sense of the big windshifts that tumbled off the mountains of Lanzarote in gusts that sometimes blew up to 27 knots. Meanwhile the Slovenian’s closest rival – both at this event and for overall honours in the 2008 RC44 fleet racing season – was having a much better time in the tricky, puffy conditions. Owner of Banco Espirito Santo, Patrick de Barros credited Russell Coutts for making sense of the 40 degree shifts as the Portuguese boat picked up a 1,2 in the first two heats while Team Ceeref struggled with a 3,4.
The Portuguese were now within striking distance of the Slovenians for winning the event in Lanzarote, and were looking more secure in the defence of their lead in the 2008 rankings. Going into today, de Barros held a slim 3-point advantage over Lah in the season points scoreboard, and Ceeref had been the class act of the past week. Now de Barros had a bit more breathing room, and if he could win the final race with Ceeref last then perhaps he could steal the Gold Cup trophy too. With the strength and variable direction of the northerly wind, anything was possible.
Unfortunately Artemis had to bow out of the final race as keel problems forced Torbjorn Tornqvist to head home early. The battle for the remaining five boats was intense, with the whole fleet nose to tail at the leeward mark. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero led round that mark and while the other four boats tacked inshore, Daniel Calero kept on driving out to the right. When Calero tacked back to converge with the fleet, he was well ahead. The local spectators were getting excited at the prospect of a surprise win by a young and inexperienced team over some of the best professional sailors in the world.
The Canaries crew sailed a beautiful beat to lead handsomely around the final windward mark. However the chasing pack poured down behind them in a huge gust. At this stage Team Ceeref was way back in last place, and looked in danger of losing the Gold Cup if Banco could find their way through to first. But Ceeref tactician James Spithill called for an early gybe with the new breeze as the Slovenian boat hit 22 knots boatspeed in a gust of 27 knots. BMW Oracle Racing was next to gybe and these two boats were locked in a high-speed battle for the lead. Ceeref prevailed, surging across the finish line in first place and securing victory in Lanzarote, to go with their match racing victory three days earlier.
The local newcomers, Team Puerto Calero, led the day’s last race until the last weather mark but gave up most of their lead in the last leg. Banco Espirito Santo was second in the fleet racing, followed by Team Aqua who edged third place by just a point from BMW Oracle Racing.
Any disappointment that Patrick de Barros had for not winning the Puerto Calero RC44 Gold Cup was easily compensated for by his season victory. And Daniel Calero was happy despite having lost that last race which seemed to have been his. He is hugely encouraged by his team’s progress over the past week, and will be training harder than any team in the two months before the fleet returns to Lanzarote in late February for the first regatta of the 2009 season.
RC44 Championship Tour
Puerto Calero RC44 Gold Cup, fleet races, ranking
1 – Team Ceeref, 1,1,2,1,2,4,4 pt. 15
2- Banco Espirito Santo, 5,4,3,3,3,1,3 pt. 22
3 – BMW Oracle Racing, 4,3,1,2,5,2,6 pt. 23
3 – Team Aqua, 2,2,4,4,1,6,5 pt. 24
6 – Artemis, 3,7,7,7,4,3,1 pt. 32
5 – Islas Canaria Puerto Calero, 6,5,5,5,6,5,2 pt. 43
RC44 Championship Tour, final standing
1 – Team Banco Espirito Santo, 40,35,25,12,14,28 pt. 154
2 – Team Ceeref, 36,42,19,13,26,23 pt. 159
3 – Team Hiroshi-Città di Milano, 21,19,32,11,17,80 pt. 180
4 – Team Aqua, 45,39,20,27,19,32 pt. 182
5 – BMW Oracle Racing, 88,32,40,24,25,33 pt. 242
other ten follow
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