Emirates Team New Zealand won all three races on the first day of the Region of Sardinia Trophy for the TP52 Series. Three wins from three starts allowed Dean Barker (NZL) and the crew of Emirates TeamNew Zealand to not only take a comfortable overall lead after the first day’s racing at the Region of Sardinia Trophy, the third event of the 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit, but also to more than double their overall lead on the season long Circuit.Italy's Francesco Bruni called tactics for Matador as they posted a first and second on the 2nd day, rising to challenge the Kiwi dominance in the TP52 Series while his compatriot Vasco Vascotto won twice in the hot seat on the GP 42 Airis. Winners of the season’s opening regatta in Alicante in May, Matador (ARG) proved the most consistent TP52 performers of the second day of racing off Cagliari in the south of Sardinia. With a first and a second place in gentle sea-breeze conditions which struggled to reach double figures, the Argentine team which has Italian Francesco Bruni as tactician read the difficult first windward-legs well.
In the GP42 Series, which managed to complete all three scheduled races, Vasco Vascotto guided Airis to win the first two races, while the Italian monopoly was maintained as Series leader Roma won the third contest. A penalty turn at the top of the second beat proved costly for the Circuit leader Roma.
As the Audi MedCup Circuit 2009 reached its theoretical mid-point Artemis won the Coastal race and only one point separates the top four GP42 Series teams after 3rd day's three races.
On a blistering hot day on the Gulf of Cagliari, 2007 Audi MedCup Champion Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE) and the crew of Artemis kept their cool to execute a clinical victory in today’s 29.2 miles coastal race and leap-frog Matador (ARG) for second place in the overall standings for the TP52 Series’ Region of Sardinia Trophy regatta.
In the GP42 Series, where three races were completed in variable sea breeze conditions, a 3,5,2 scoreline for the day sees Airis lead the overall series from Roma Mk 2, their Italian compatriots also sharing the same 16 points tally as third placed Caser Endesa. It could scarcely be closer after three different boats, Roma Mk 2, Caser-Endesa and Islas Canarias Puerto Calero won successive contests today. And the young fourth placed Canarian team are still only one point off the lead on 17 points.
A fifth and second place from two contrasting races for Emirates Team New Zealand sees them top the leaderboard again while three back to back wins for Islas Canarias Puerto Calero gives them a two points lead.
Four and a half points separates regatta leaders Emirates Team New Zealand from Artemis going in to the final day’s racing of the Region of Sardinia Trophy after two very different and challenging windward-leeward contests off Cagliari.
Fortunes ebbed and flowed between the two top teams. ETNZ’s Grant Dalton summarised it as ‘winning ugly’ after emerging in second place from a mentally bruising second race which saw Artemis recover from 10th to steal three places at the bottom of the final run.
Emirates Team New Zealand add the Region of Sardinia Trophy to the Marseille Trophy after a composed final day of racing in a building Mistral breeze, while Islas Canarias Puerto Calero win the GP42 Series Regatta. Emirates Team New Zealand’s boss and mast-man Grant Dalton (NZL) had his wish today as the Mistral breeze returned to present a final crescendo as the Kiwi team sailed cleanly through three final races to secure the Region of Sardinia Trophy, their second successive regatta title after also winning last month in Marseille, France. Emirates Team New Zealand sailed with precision across their races to score a third, a first and, as a final flourish in the 22 knot Mistral, a second place which ensured they topped the final standings by 14.5 points ahead of Matador. Artemis who started the day in second slipped to third place ifor the regatta.
In the GP42 Series Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP) won four of the final five races to take the Region of Sardinia Trophy, needing only to finish in the final race to be sure of their first regatta win this season.
