| Owner: | Doug DeVos |
| Sail Number: | USA 52018 |
| Bownumber: | 01 |
| Yacht Club: | Macatawa Bay YC |
| Design: | Botin Partners (2018) |
| Builder: | Longitud Cero Composites S.L. |
About
The Quantum Racing Team is in essence the DeVos family’s team. Doug DeVos is one of the founder members, stakeholders and leading lights of the 52 SUPER SERIES and loves driving their TP52 race boat.
Quantum Racing won the 52 SUPER SERIES in 2013, 2014 and 2016, putting them level with Azzurra’s record, winners in 2012, 2015 and 2017.
The 2017 season presented a whole series of challenges and new opportunities for Doug DeVos’s Quantum Racing. To date, they are the most successful TP52 team, and remain the outstanding, benchmark programme. If they had a speed edge in 2016, then the fleet visibly caught up. With Ed Baird moving to the Gladiator campaign, that opened an strategic opportunity to bring in Bora Gulari as strategist, and, when owner-driver DeVos was not available, to sail as helm.
In retrospect it was a bold choice, but, because of strong weather during the pre-season, and in to Miami, the US Olympian and multiple world champion was stymied by a lack of hard training time on the helm. Over the 2017 season Quantum Racing could not win regattas on the bounce like they did before, and, in particular, a heavy points tally was added in Porto Cervo – first when they misread the SI’s, and then when their rig was jeopardised in the last race and they had to retire.
But the most potent, dangerous Quantum Racing are when they are on the bounce back. With an America’s Cup programme announced, they are back stronger and better in 2018 with Dean Barker driving and a new Botin design built again at Longitud Cero.
