11th of July, 2012

Race 2, Rán Racing wins

Rán Racing broke their winning drought on Wednesday, claiming line honours in the dramatic second race of the Royal Cup in Palma, Mallorca that was marked by crew error.

It is the first time Ran have celebrated victory since winning race five of the first 52 Super Series events, the Trofeo Conde de Godó de Vela regatta, which was held in Barcelona in May.

Quantum Racing finished second, followed by Audi Azzurra Sailing Team, Audi Sailing Team powered by All4One, Aquila, PowerPlay, Provezza and Gladiator, who failed to recover from losing their kite overboard to finish 4.37 minutes behind.

It was a nightmare start for series newcomers Provezza, helmed by double Olympic 470 silver medallist Nick Rogers, who were recalled after jumping the start.

Again, it was Quantum who made the perfect start, jumping from the boat end of the Palma Bay start line with near optimum speed in about 11 knots from the southwest.

But, as the breeze continued to shift, the teams played each other more than the wind in a conservative first leg race to the top mark, which was won by Rán Racing’s owner-driver Niklas Zennström.

Just 12 seconds later Quantum rounded in second place, followed by Gladiator, Azzurra, All4One, Aquila and Provezza who fought back from their horrendous start to gain a position on PowerPlay.

Zennström, determined to be one of the best ranked teams not just the best owner-driver, held strong downwind, before drama struck Gladiator. The British team edged into second place at the second mark but soon lost it when their spinnaker ended up in the water.

The boat ground to a halt and the crew were forced to watch every yacht in the fleet sail around them as they struggled to get their sail back on board.

Meanwhile the fleet raced with moderate speeds up wind, and Ran held off all challenges to win.


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Rán Racing Royal Cup