Audi A1 Team powered by ALL4ONE in the Portugal Trophy. Image copyright Richard Walch.
by Stephanie Nadin
What a performance for a first time! Audi A1 Team powered by ALL4ONE finishes second of the Portugal Trophy in Cascais, just behind Emirates Team New Zealand. We can really say that the French-German team made a nice first show-up on the Audi MedCup Circuit. But it is also a fantastic and well-deserved reward for a team that got ready in a very short time, with a lot of hard work to be on the start line with all the big teams.
They said:
Sebastien Col, Tactician: "We have proved that we could make it on this regatta. Today we sailed a bit on our side and we have observed our direct opponents, because this morning we were only half a point ahead of Artemis, and just a few points ahead of TeamOrigin, so it was very close! We did a nice first race finishing 4th and putting these two teams behind us, so we were a bit more relaxed for the last race where we controlled TeamOrigin and finished 6th. The conclusion is that the team entered the Audi MedCup in a very interesting way for the rest of the season. But there is still a lot more to come, and we will have to understand the boat even more in light winds now, as here we mainly sailed in strong winds. So still a lot to discover and to improve, but for sure it was good for the team's self-confidence. The next race course on the Audi MedCup will be Marseille, that we know well. It will be important for us to do well there, even if we still have things to learn compared to the other teams."
Audi A1 Team powered by ALL4ONE in the Portugal Trophy. Image copyright Richard Walch.
Jochen Schümann, Skipper and Sports Director: "today, the racing was tough with a lot of breeze. As we were lucky enough to be second before these two last races, we had to sail well in these rough conditions and without any big mistake just to bring the boat home basically, because any place on the podium would have satisfied what we were expecting... and it worked out! We finished 4th of the first race after a mainsail problem at the gate, but we still managed to finish the race. So the situation with the points was good before the last race, where we were second at the top mark after a good start at the committee boat. We could have won that race if we would have been more aggressive, but the strategy was to sail safe and clean, and staying ahead or Artemis and TeamOrigin. So in the end we finished 6th, but it was more than enough to finish second overall, which is just perfect. The conclusion is that we used the opportunities really well on this event. We have a very good team working really hard on shore and on the boat that made it happen. We are far from perfection, but this second place is obviously a lot more than what we expected before this first regatta for the team."
Next step for the Audi A1 Team powered by ALL4ONE will be the second event of the Audi MedCup in Marseille, 15-20 June!
Till that, ALL4ONE will take part in the Louis Vuitton Trophy - La Maddalena, Sardinia, 22 May - 6 June.
Overall standings after 10 races TP52 series
1. Emirates Team New Zealand-31,5 points
2. Audi A1 Team powered by ALL4ONE-51,5 points
3. Artemis-58 points
4. Quantum Racing-59,5 points
5. TeamOrigin 1851-59,5 points
6. Matador-60 points
7. Synergy-64 points
8. Cristabella-65 points
9. Luna Rossa-77,5 points
10. Bribon-84,5 points
11. Bigamist-85 points
ALL4ONE
Audi MedCup
