Matador TP52 World Champion 2009

On Friday local favourites Bribón lead the TP52 World Championships after winning Race 5 in the light, sticky conditions on their home waters. After making a strong start double Olympic Star class medallist, tactician Ross MacDonald along with navigator Marcel van Triest (NED) read the shifting breeze at the top end of the first beat precisely, calling a good layline which allowed them to ease away around the windward mark ahead of Matador (ARG) which over-stood slightly. In 6-7 knots of breeze Bribón were able to extend on the downwind leg to build themselves a comfortable margin, winning by 1 minute and 24 seconds, well clear of a dramatic finish behind them as Synergy (RUS) gained more than half a minute on the last run. Their hitch out to the left brought them extra wind pressure which allowed them to steal across the bows of Quantum Racing and Matador to wrest second palce. Second at the final windward mark, the Argentinian boat just made third, getting the better of Quantum in a heart-stopping finish. Only one second was judged to be the difference between the two.
On Saturday a frustrating attempt at a coastal race in very unsettled wind conditions was abandoned after seven miles and one hour and ten minutes of often heart-stopping racing to leave Bribón’s four points lead at the top of the ten boat TP52 World Championship fleet going into the final day of racing.
Matador trump Quantum Racing on countback to win the TP52 World Championship title after a breathtaking final day which was in the balance right until the final sums were computed. It could not have been much closer when the Argentine crew on Matador lifted the TP52 World Championship on the waters they call home in Europe, the Bay of Palma, this afternoon. They lift the title on countback ahead of the 2008 world champions Quantum Racing (USA) who also finished on 23 points after seven races. Matador won the final race to match Quantum Racing’s pair of race victories this week, but their three third places trump the American crew's final hand which inluded two thirds and a fifth.
Quantum Racing (USA) may rue missed opportunities, and in effect the 2008 title holders came within a few metres of defending. Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist’s crew with Paul Cayard (USA) calling tactics finished third overall ending up on equal points with the Russian crew on Synergy who take fourth.
The next event for the TP52 fleet will be the first Audi MedCup 2010 regatta on the 10th of May.

TP52 Worlds

A first and a second from two difficult races today on the Bay of Palma sees the 2007 world champions Artemis (SWE) emerge with only the slimmest possible lead after four races have now been sailed at the 2009 TP52 World Championship. The Swedish flagged team are tied on points with local favourites Bribón (ESP). José Cusí’s crew from the host club, with round the world racer Gonzalo Araujo (ESP) on the helm, also erred on the conservative, safe side where possible and posted a second and a third. In the flat water, short beats and modest wind-speeds it was day for clear thinking and concise decision making, especially at the busy, often frenetic first windward mark roundings.When they made strong start off the pin end of the line in Race 4, overnight leaders Quantum Racing (USA) looked to be well set to at least consolidate on the two points lead that they held. But at the first windward mark approach, while Artemis squeezed only away a few metres ahead, they were suddenly trapped on their port tack approach, as the starboard tack line up lifted and they had to bail out to the back of the queue. . Choosing prudence and dipping hard, Quantum Racing the current champions managed to come back from tenth round that first buoy to rescue a sixth place finish, but they slid to third overall, still only two points off the leading pair’s aggregate.

TP52 World Championship

The autumn evening sun was already dipping low in the sky as Quantum Racing (USA) took the winning gun for the second of two races today at the TP52 World Championships off Palma, Mallorca. Their win, paired with a fifth from the first heat ensures the current world champions lead overall by a single point. Even if the sea breeze took its time to build and only peaked with short spells offering 11 knots and mostly averaged around 6-8 knots, it proved a tricky afternoon over which the usual Palma tactical conventions did not always hold true, and consistency in the ten boat fleet across these first two windward-leeward races proved elusive. After two races Quantum Racing (USA) lead the Russian team on Synergy who took a second and fifth and are matched on the same seven points tally by Alberto Roemmers’ current Copa del Rey champions on Matador (ARG) who took a third and a fourth.

John Cook on the helm of Cristabella triumphed in the first race. The British crew, with John Cutler (NZL) as tactician, recognised the additional wind pressure and small shift to the right of the course on the first beat, and after a modest start, were able to cross the fleet two thirds of the way up the leg. They lead at the windward turn by a clear 40 metres from Synergy and went on to win by 22 seconds with Matador third. It was after 1800hrs in the early evening when Quantum Racing’s afterguard of Morgan Larson (USA) and Mark Mendelblatt (USA) conspired to read the opening beat of the second race to best effect, calling the favourable left shift on the left of the track ahead of the slight extra pressure on the right. The current champions were ahead at the windward mark to lead local favourites Bribón across the finish.

TP52 Worlds Practise Race

A gentle return to the Bay of Palma for the TP52 fleet as Quantum Racing win the Practice Race for the 2009 TP52 World Championships. Patience on the Bay of Palma was rewarded with pleasant 7-10 knots light wind conditions as Quantum Racing (USA), the defending world champions laid down a marker when they won today’s practice race for the TP52 World Championships. The delay while the sea-breeze built to allow a start just after 1520hrs afforded the ten TP52 crews the chance to make final preparations and to ease gently into the championships enjoying the unique ambience of the Real Club Nautical de Palma. The wait was well worth it, yielding sea breeze conditions typical of Palma with the top three boats proving to be those which started best.