Quantum Racing win the TP52 Audi MedCup Marseille Trophy, © Carlo Borlenghi/Audi MedCup.
by Sabina Mollart-Rogerson
Quantum Racing and Iberdrola’s green revolution overtook the Marseille Trophy regatta, the second event of the 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit, as the two green-hulled Botin Carkeek designs lifted the respective top trophies for the TP52 series and GP42 series
Quantum Racing’s (USA) victory in the TP52 Series fleet is their first event win overall since becoming 2008 TP52 World Champions in Puerto Calero, and their first Audi MedCup Circuit regatta triumph since they sealed the 2008 overall title winning the Portugal Trophy in September 2008.
The 2007 and 2008 GP42 Circuit title winners Iberdrola (ESP) leave Marseille buoyed up for the rest of the season by their first ever Audi MedCup regatta win.
It was the Mistral which prevailed on the final day of scheduled racing. Out on Marseille’s Rade race areas the notorious winds whipped spumes of spray and kicked up a nasty swell. With gusts close to 40 knots it always seemed unlikely that the Marseille Trophy fleet would leave the dock in the Vieux Port. For all that, the Quantum Racing team were never far from their boat and always poised to go and do whatever needed to be done.
Skipper-helm Terry Hutchinson (USA) acknowledged the good work of his team, not least in the behind the scenes industry from their boat-builder, from Quantum Sails themselves and the designers Botin Carkeek, which have all contributed to the 2008 champions upping their game on last year. Winning two races and, for the second year in a row, the coastal race, formed the solid foundations for the Quantum Racing victory composed over just six races sailed.
Their win halts the Emirates Team New Zealand run at five successive regattas which they set off here in Marseille last year. The American crew finished 4.5 points clear of second placed Matador (ARG).
Keys to the Quantum Racing success have been consistently good starting, strong tactics and improved boat speed, whilst the reigning champions Emirates Team New Zealand will rue a high scoring opening day when they amassed 21 of their 31 points, finishing fourth overall, their worst finish ever on the Audi MedCup Circuit. But on the overall standings for the 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit, the Kiwis’ 20 points lead which they came to France with has only been eroded by 1.5 points.
When it comes to consistency the Franco-German team on Audi A1 powered by All4One have been the class act of the season so far. Second in Cascais, the team headed by Jochen Schuemann (GER) and Sebastien Col (FRA), took third place here and lie second overall on the 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit standings.
First MedCup win for Iberdrola
With no racing today, Iberdrola (ESP) two point lead ensured they won the Marseille Trophy in the GP42 Series, also promoting themselves up to second overall on the GP42 Series overall standings behind Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP).
The bright-green machine led by skipper Laureano Wizner (ESP) has shown to be fast in light air, so those conditions in the first day of racing enable her double wins in Races 1 and 2.
Day Two’s big breeze and big seas suited Madrid-Caser Seguros (ESP), whose strong finishes of 2 - 1 – 1 then were still not quite enough to get this team, led by skipper Jose Maria van der Ploeg (ESP) and helmsman Paolo Cian (ITA), to the top of the leaderboard.
The total number of races sailed in Marseille amounts to only five, the silver liming for Peninsula Petroleum (GBR), whose broken masthead crane could not be repaired after its break in Race 3. This will leave more races in the future available for this team, led by Gibraltar-based owner/helmsman John Bassadone and tactician Iñaki Castaner (ESP), to play catch-up to the fleet for the remainder of the series.
The Conde de Godó City of Barcelona Trophy is the next regatta of the Audi MedCup Circuit 20-25 July in the Catalan capital.
Marseille Trophy
TP52 Series
Overall
1. Quantum Racing (USA), 8+1+1+5+6+1,5= 22,5 points
2. Matador (ARG), 3+3+4+1+10+6= 27
3. Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), 2+9+2+10+2+4,5= 29,5
4. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 10+6+5+4+3+3= 31
5. TeamOrigin (GBR), 4+7+7+3+1+9= 31
6. Synergy (RUS), 9+2+6+7+4+7,5= 35,5
7. Bribón (ESP), 1+8+8+2+7+15= 41
8. Cristabella (GBR), 6+4+3+8+9+13,5= 43,5
9. Luna Rossa (ITA), 5+5+10+9+5+10,5= 44,5
10. Artemis (SWE), 7+11(RAF)+9+6+8+12= 53
11. Bigamist 7 (POR), 12(DNC)+12(DNC)+12(DNC)+12(DNC)+12(DNC)+18(DNC)= 78
Iberdrola win the GP42 Audi MedCup Marseille Trophy, © Guido Trombetta/Studio Borlenghi/Audi MedCup.
GP42 Series
Overall
1. Iberdrola (ESP), 1+1+3+2+3= 10 points
2. Madrid-Caser Seguros (ESP), 4+4+2+1+1= 12
3. AIRISESSENTIAL (ITA), 5+2+1+3+4= 15
4. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP), 2+5+4+4+2= 17
5. Peninsula Petroleum (GBR), 3+3+6(DNF)+6(DNC)+6(DNC)= 24
Audi MedCup 2010
Overall after two regattas, Portugal Trophy Cascais and Marseille Trophy
TP52 Series
After 2 events
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 31,5+31= 62,5 points
2. Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), 51,5+29,5= 81
3. Quantum Racing (USA), 59,5+22,5= 82
4. Matador (ARG), 60+27= 87
5. TeamOrigin (GBR), 59,5+31= 90,5
6. Synergy (RUS), 64+35,5= 99,5
7. Cristabella (GBR), 65+43,5= 108,5
8. Artemis (SWE), 57+53= 110
9. Luna Rossa (ITA), 77,5+44,5= 122
10. Bribón (ESP), 88+41= 123,5
11. Bigamist 7 (POR), 88+78= 166
GP42 Series
After 2 events
1. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP), 14+17= 31 points
2. Iberdrola (ESP), 25+10= 35
3. Madrid-Caser Seguros (ESP), 24+12= 36
4. AIRISESSENTIAL (ITA), 37+15= 52
5. Peninsula Petroleum (GBR), 40+24= 64
Quotes of the day:
Terry Hutchinson (USA) skipper-helm of Quantum Racing (USA):
"It has been a long time coming.We were just discussing that the last regatta we won was the 2008 World Championships. Since then we have been in a bit of a dry spell. So it is a huge testament to the team, to all the work that into the boat over the winter and to all the guys at Longitude Zero who work tirelessly on the boat, this is as much about them as it is us on the sailing team. In the conditions we had, on the breezy days we felt like potentially we had missed an opportunity on the second light day when we went 5,6 and and Emirates Team New Zealand had a good day. We thought, 'man that could have been a turning point in the regatta because we were coming into their conditions in the last couple of days of sailing. We ground them down in a breezy race and sailed away from them. They are still the bench-mark and had won the last five regattas up to this point, but we have a big task ahead of us this season now. We are going to enjoy the moment and then back to work next week.
"I think we sailed well in Cascais. Obviously the little ding in my head did not help our results there, but I think that we have a couple of additions to the team this year: Kevin Hall has helped with the performance point of view from the navigator's spot. And all the work from Quantum over the winter from the VPP and CFD point of view has made a difference, just refining the sail shapes and targeting what is good, where we are compromised and where we are good.
"Marseille, we were fifth the first year, second last year and won this year. We have had good coastal races which proved to be the turning point of the regatta, clearly having the last couple of days blown off with too much breeze was nice. We picked a good time to be in the lead.
"Barcelona is going to present some difficulties, looking at making sure that the boat is completely geared up for light to moderate airs days. We have an afterguard change there, Adrian Stead will be back there. This was Morgan Larson's cameo appearance here he did brilliant. We have spent enough time sailing together that it just clicks back into palce. But he and Ado are quite different. They are both different. Ado is quite numbers orientated and Morgan is maybe more loose and seat of the pants, and I am somewhere in between the two. Both are a good balance for us."
Ray Davies (NZL) tactician Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
"It's been a bit of a shame that we did not sail the last couple of days but it would have been quite extreme today. Yesterday there were probably opportunities but it would have been hard. It is shame to miss out on a bit of racing, especially in conditions which would have been good for us. We have a fight on our hands for sure but if you look at the voerall pciture it has not really changed that much. We just have to pick our game up. I think we just need to be doing the basics well and stick to that philosophy.
"These are the same regattas we are doing all the time, so me, personally, I can't see any reason why we have not done so well on the first days here and in Cascais. It is no different to other regattas. There is no more pressure. It is just that it has not gone our day. We could just as easily come into the next regatta and win a bunch of races. Like other teams some days it just does not go your way.
"Quite possibly it might be a good thing not to have won here but it always feels good winning and you'd rather take the win."
Sebastien Col (FRA) helmsman Audi A1 powered by All4ONE (FRA-GER):
“We are very glad to be on the podium for second regatta in a row. We already had a second in Cascais and we really wanted to prove that it was not a fluke. We finished third here which is good. We have plenty to work on, to try and maintain our consistency. Here we had two bad races that we can maybe regret at this level because if we had not had them then maybe we could have won. But, really, we are content to be third. We are on the podium at both 2010 regattas and are the only team to have done that so far this season, but we don’t look too much at the overall standings. We take it one regatta at time, one day at a time. You never know. In Barcelona we might be 4th, 5th or 6th."
Laureano Wizner (ESP), helmsman Iberdrola (ESP):
"Its fantastic to win our first MedCup stage here in Marseille. Our team is really happy, considering we have one of the oldest boats in the class and yet we seem to still be competitive in most conditions."
Audi MedCup
