Audi MedCup: NZL380’s overall lead cut back

Emirates Team New Zealand competing off Cagliari in their TP52. Image copyright Ian Roman/Audi MedCup.

by Emirates Team New Zealand media

Emirates Team New Zealand has maintained its hold on the overall lead in the third regatta of the Audi MedCup series, but an indifferent day on the water has seen that lead whittled away.

NZL380 finished the first day of racing at Cagliari, Sardinia, with a seven-point lead over Matador; at the end of day 2, with finishes of 5th and 4th, the lead was down to one point.

“It was a very ordinary day. Not a really bad day but very ordinary,” Grant Dalton said. “We felt yesterday (with three wins from three starts) was too good to be true and it was.”

Today the breeze was softer and more shifty. NZL380 started well but was on the wrong side of shifts on the first beat of both races.

“We were deep in the fleet at the first mark (eighth both times) and were looking at a couple of really bad results.

“We have learned that if you’re down the fleet at the first windward mark you’re not going to win the race and it’s easy to make the situation worse.

“We have been drilling ourselves not to turn bad races into terrible races and we recovered some of the lost ground. The results were acceptable in the context of the series but we have to do better on the beats.”

Emirates Team New Zealand maintains its lead in the five regatta series (after the Alicante and Marseille regattas and two days racing in Cagliari) 19.5 points ahead of second-placed Matador.

Coastal race scheduled for tomorrow.

Audi MedCup Circuit 2009
Region of Sardinia Trophy
Overall - Day 2
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 1 1 1 5 4= 12 points
2. Matador (ARG), 3 3 4 1 2= 13 points
3. Artemis (SWE), 2 2 7 3 3= 17 points
4. Synergy (RUS), 4 8 2 2 5= 21 points
5. Bigamist (POR), 6 5 9 6 1= 27 points
6, Bribon (ESP), 5 6 3 7 8 = 29 points
7, Quantum (USA), 7 4 8 4 6 = 29 points
8, Cristabella (GBR), 9 10 5 8 10 = 42 points
9, Audi Q8 (ITA), 8 9 6 10 9 = 42 points
10, Valars lll (RUS), 10 7 10 9 7 = 43 points

Audi MedCup Series
Standings (Alicante and Marseille and two race days Cagliari)

1 Emirates Team New Zealand 38, 27.5, 12 = 77.5 points
2 Matador 36, 47.5, 13 = 96.5 points
3 Quantum Racing 40, 41.5, 29 = 110.5 points
4 Artemis 37, 62.5, 17 =116.5 points
5 Bigamist 46, 55.5, 27 = 128.5 points

Emirates Team New Zealand
Audi MedCup