Sardinia holds great promise

After the outstanding success of Barcelona last month where three TP52’s went in to the final day of the Trofeo Conde de Godó with a good chance of winning and the overall winner was finally decided only on a tie-break, it is the famous waters Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda whiche next week will host the 52 Super Series second regatta.

The 52’s will be partnered by Soto40’s for the Audi Sardina Cup, the famous Grand Prix nation team regatta which has a long and distinguished history. Besides the challenge for the the team trophy, the Sardinia Cup, both classes will be scored independently to accumulate points towards the individual event trophies, as well as towards the season-long 52 Super Series and the Soto40 European championship..

Two new teams are welcomed to the Series for the first time in Sardinia. PowerPlay Racing with their Reichel-Pugh design (ex USA-17/Synergy) has been one of the most successful IRC optimised 52’s in the USA and Caribbean recently. Peter Cunningham’s team head for Sardinia with a series of podium finishes to their name, including a second at Key West and winning at the 39th Rolex St Barths regatta. Owner-driver Cunningham has a top level grand prix programme run by Tony Rey, including top TP52 names like Hartwell Jordan, Chris Kam with back-up support in Sardinia from Nacho Postigo.
The second team to step into the 52 Super Series arena in Sardinia is the French Paprec team lead by owner Jean-Luc Petithuguenin. To date they have been very successful in their native Breton waters and previously raced at the TP52 World Championships in Palma, but the Paprec team, which contains a proportion of amateur sailors who have sailed for many years with the owners, are ready for a new challenge. Sailmaker Stephan Neve skippers the boat which was launched in 2007 as Artemis, and which has been recently updated through last winter. Twins Hugues and Sebastien Destremau steer and call tactics respectively. Paprec have a long history in sailing, competing in the final Admiral’s Cup in 2003 winning the Commodore’s Cup for France in 2006 and also supporting IMOCA Open 60 skipper Jean-Pierre Dick’s Virbac-Paprec 3 programme.

Five days of racing starts on Wednesday 13th June with two or three windward-leeward races each of the first days before a coastal race Friday, two races scheduled Saturday and one on Sunday.

The 52 Super Series leaderboard is topped, only just, by the reigning World and Audi MedCup champions Quantum Racing who are tied on points with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s Audi Azzurra Sailing Team.

Alberto Roemmers’ team race on their home waters with considerable pride at stake racing their new 2012 launched boat which proved very potent in Barcelona.

Audi Sardinia Cup 52 SUPER SERIES:

• Quantum Racing (USA)
• Rán Racing (SWE)
• Audi Azzurra Sailing Team (ITA)
• Gladiator (GBR)
• Paprec Recyclage (FRA)
• Powerplay (KY)