Audi A1 Team powered by ALL4ONE, © Nico Martinez/WSM
by Stephanie Nadin
After having finished the Audi MedCup circuit with a second place on the podium of the Region of Sardinia Trophy in Cagliari, Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE will close its TP52 2010 season this week, racing the TP52 World Championship in Valencia, Spain, taking place from October 5 to 9.
The racing week started today with a nice first race, as the French-German team took the second place : after an excellent start on the line with Quantum Racing, Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE took the best out its first beat, then on the last two legs, the team focused on increasing its lead on Artemis, (3rd), and on controlling the Swedish boat.
Then Jochen Schümann and his team took the 6th place in the second race, only 1 second away from Artemis (5th).
Last but not least on the last race, the choppy sea got stronger, and didn't help the team as their boat seems to have some speed issues upwind in these conditions, (which is something that the team already noted in Barcelona and Cartagena). Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE finished 8th on that race, after a mistake in a manoeuvre when rounding the last mark. Despite the good speed of the boat downwind, it was not enough for the team to come back on the fleet.
Audi A1 Team powered by ALL4ONE and other TP52s competing in the World Championship, © Nico Martinez/WSM
Luke Molloy, Mainsail trimmer: "we had a building sea breeze today, so the wind increased as the day went on. We started well with a second place in the first race, which was good. Then as the wind built, the waves built, all the boats became more even in performance, and we made a few bad decisions both mechanically with the way we sail the boat, and also tactically. It also seems that we have a bit of speed problems with our boat when it gets choppy like it is here in Valencia, and we need to work on that as it seems to be a recurring problem."
Jean-Marie Dauris, Bowman: "We did a first good race where we managed to stick to the second place after a good start; the sea was still flat by then. Then the wind went up for the following races. It was a bit more difficult for us in the choppy sea, plus we didn't have starts as good as the first one. So the two last races have not been good. The spinnaker also went into the water after a wave at the last mark in the 3rd race of the day, which didn't help the whole thing. We don't seem comfortable in these conditions, and we need to work on that."
Provisional overall standings after 3 races
1. Synergy - 7 points
2. Quantum Racing - 7 points
3. Artemis - 10 points
4. Matador - 11 points
5. Cristabella - 14 points
6. Bigamist - 19 points
7. Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE - 20 points
8. Pace - 24 points
9. Weapon of Choice - 24 points
Audi A1 Team powered by ALL4ONE
TP52 World Championship
