Another report Elena Tekinay from Valencia, where the fifth and final regatta in TP52 this season – 52 SUPER SERIES Valencia Sailing Week:
© Elena Tekina
The penultimate day of the regatta, on September 21 was marked by the victory of the American team Quantum Racing in the season 2018 with a margin of one day of racing.
Winning the first race and finishing 4th and 3rd places in the other two, the Americans with Dean Barker at the wheel and Terry Hutchinson as tactics took second place of the day and became unattainable for the opponents at the end of the season. In the team’s history is already the 4th title of champion of the 52 Super Series.
After spending on Friday, as Thursday, three races, the Race Committee compensated for the lack of the competition on Wednesday and came back on the schedule. Unstable, difficult-to-read South-East breeze 8-11 knots in the third race turned to the East, bringing racing teams in the table to the highest point.
The comeback season was a bounce fined twice in the third race of the Italian Luna Rossa in last place on the gate in second place at the finish, allowed the team to lead the overall standings of the regatta – despite the 6-th and 8-th place in the first two races.
According to strategist team Jimmy Spithill, the team as a whole works well, but I would like more stability. “It was a difficult day, we did not do very well, still make a lot of mistakes. Plan to disassemble it tonight and tomorrow to be stronger.”
The first three teams are separated by only two points. In second place Quantum, the third German Platoon, on the fourth Azzurra. The Argentine-Italian team with Guillermo Parada on the steering wheel and Santiago Lange as tactics went down another position in the overall results of the regatta, despite the victory in the second race. 8-th and 9-th place in the first and third races earned her a whopping 7 points behind first place. In the first race the team managed to start, and to get out уAzzurra got only a few positions. In the third race after a bad start the team managed to become the fourth at the first mark, but then a few mistakes led to the fact that the gate Azzurra was around 8th. On the second tacking when the wind went left, to the East, the team was at a disadvantage and lost another place.
According to Santiago Lange tactics, they still have a good chance to win silver regatta and the season. “All boats are very close, and we just need a good chase. Tomorrow another two races, and in this fleet, this means a lot of points. I like to compete, but I prefer to solve problems on a rolling, not trying to defend the race. If we race well, we will be fine. We don’t need to look at the other two teams (Platoon and Luna Rossa), we need only to be as good as we can.”
Brazilian Onda, stunned all Thursday, miracles do not show. Finishing in 11th, 5th and 8th places, Onda have given their position in the top 5 British Alegre, and she went down to 6th place in the final line.
Serving under the American flag Sled Takashi Okura with tactician ray Davies at the regatta very unlucky. The team spent Friday your best day, finishing 5th, 3rd and 1st place. However, this did not help her to leave their 7th place in the overall.
In the overall standings of the season, the situation for steps on the podium even more dramatic. Platoon and Azzurra now occupy 2nd and 3rd places respectively and are tied on points (197). According to the tactics of the German team of John Kostecki, he never looks at the numbers that it did not affect his decisions in future races, but learning all the same from the team on a tie-break, he now feels a great upgrade: “Tomorrow will be great day of racing. Scenario the weather changes, so that this day will be different from the others.” At Luna Rossa, until 4-th place, and 203 points, and this means that everything is open and, as usually happens in such a fleet, everything will be solved until the last seconds of the last race of the day!
Quantum to his two titles this year is clearly going to add another win in their last regatta of the season. The answer to her other three competing for the gold the final stage, the teams learn very soon. On Saturday in the final day of the scheduled two races, the forecast promises a shift of wind to the North-East, which can bring another surprises and is clearly not going to make the fight easier in the final.
To follow the racing live on the official page of the series
http://www.52superseries.com/.
Full results here –
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