RC44 Championship Tour, tempo di rivincite per BMW Oracle Racing
RC44Vela 1 Ottobre 2009 Zerogradinord 0
RC44 Championship Tour – Portorose – Prime regate di flotta oggi a Portorose, dove il vento da sud ha soffiato tra gli 8 e i 15 nodi regalando divertimento ed emozioni ai protagonisti dell’RC44 Championship Tour.
La giornata è stata molto positiva per BMW Oracle Racing che dopo non aver brillato nell’evento di match race, ha aperto la serie con due primi, piazzamenti cui ha fatto seguire un ottavo e un quarto, difendendo la leadership dall’assalto di Artemis (2-2-5-6). Più staccati, in terza posizione, No Way Back (11-6-1-1), capace di riprendersi dopo un avvio poco convincente, e Organika (8-3-3-5) di Karol Jablonski.
A incalzare questi ultimi è il leader della classifica generale Team Aqua che oltre a mettere nel mirino chi lo anticipa si dovrà guardare dagli attacchi di Team Katusha, lo scafo di Paul Cayard vincitore a sorpresa dell’evento di match race.
RC44 Championship Tour, fleet event
1. BMW Oracle Racing, 1, 1, 8, 4, pt. 14
2. Artemis, 2, 2, 5, 6, pt. 15
3. No Way Back, 11, 6, 1, 1, pt. 19
4. Organika, 8, 3, 3, 5, pt. 19
5. Team Aqua, 6, 5, 6, 3, pt. 20
6. Team Katusha, 3, 7, 10, 2, pt. 22
7. Team Sea Dubai, 7, 4, 4, 9, pt. 24
8. Ceeref, 9, 9, 2, 7, pt. 27
9. Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, 5, 8, 7, 11, pt. 31
10. Modri Gaj, 4, 10, 11, 8, pt. 34
11. Team Austria, 10, 11, 9, 10, pt. 40
[flashvideo filename=video/rc44/RC4409_Portorose_day3.flv /]
Video courtesy RC44.
RC44 CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR, BMW ORACLE RACING’S REVENGE
[RC44 Championship Tour] Four fleet regattas took place today with a southerly breeze ranging from 8 to 15 knots. BMW Oracle Racing had an excellent day after their disappointing match race. With Ian Vickers at the helm and Russell Coutts calling the shots, the American team started the day with two bullets and finished it with two premature starts. Thanks to a great come-back in race four, BMW Oracle Racing leads the provisional ranking ahead of Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis and Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back.
The first race was also the windiest. The breeze reached 15-18 knots in the second beat, surprising the teams who were still sailing with their genoas. The new team Katusha, with Melges 32 world champion Pieter Taselaar at the helm, took a brilliant start at the pin end of the line and looked for a while as if he would pursue his team’s winning streak. But major wind shifts at the windward mark reshuffled the cards, giving BMW Oracle Racing and Artemis a slight advantage.
The second race turned into a match race between BMW Oracle Racing and Artemis, followed closely by Organika – who had once again an excellent day – and Team Sea Dubai. The race was very close and the four last boats crossed the finishing line within five seconds. Arriving on port tack at the pin end – but with an overlap – Islas Canarias Puerto Calero managed to squeeze in nicely, forcing a group of boats arriving on starboard tack to bear away brutally, loosing precious ground and places. The Austrians, who were the furthest away from the action, didn’t give enough room and got penalised.
The breeze started to drop during race three. BMW Oracle Racing, Katusha and Modri Gaj were recalled whilst No Way Back started at full speed at the pin end of the line, taking the lead and building up a comfortable advantage. Finally back on good form after a difficult start in this event, Igor Lah’s Ceeref attacked the Dutch boat during the last run and finished two seconds behind the winner after a match race type leg.
The last race took place in five knots of breeze. The Committee end of the line was heavily favoured, resulting in a jam and a light collision between Chris Bake’s Team Aqua and Michael Reardon’s Modri Gaj, who was found guilty and incurred a penalty point. BMW Oracle Racing was once again recalled, but the team managed a superb come back, finishing fifth and keeping its provisional lead in the overall ranking. Artemis, who was also fighting for the provisional lead, chose to start at the pin end of the line, probably hoping for a big left shift. This didn’t happen and the team struggled with the shifts, finishing sixth. The winner of the race, No Way Back, benefited from Katusha’s loose control. The Russian team built up a huge lead during the second run but didn’t manage to maintain it. During the last run, Katusha went to the right of the course when all the other boats went left; a fatal mistake that cost them the victory.
RC44 Championship Tour, fleet event
1. BMW Oracle Racing, 1, 1, 8, 4, pt. 14
2. Artemis, 2, 2, 5, 6, pt. 15
3. No Way Back, 11, 6, 1, 1, pt. 19
4. Organika, 8, 3, 3, 5, pt. 19
5. Team Aqua, 6, 5, 6, 3, pt. 20
6. Team Katusha, 3, 7, 10, 2, pt. 22
7. Team Sea Dubai, 7, 4, 4, 9, pt. 24
8. Ceeref, 9, 9, 2, 7, pt. 27
9. Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, 5, 8, 7, 11, pt. 31
10. Modri Gaj, 4, 10, 11, 8, pt. 34
11. Team Austria, 10, 11, 9, 10, pt. 40
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