Winning Spirit Prevails as Quantum Racing clinch 2014 Barclays 52 SUPER SERIES title.

Quantum Racing secured the 2014 Barclays 52 SUPER SERIES title today on Race 7 of the ZENITH Royal Cup Marina Ibiza regatta and on the next race they did enough to also win the Ibiza event, their third regatta title of the season.

The American flagged team of Doug DeVos came to Ibiza with a healthy points lead in the four event circuit which attracted 12 TP52s from ten different nations. They remained steadily consistent to close out their second 52 SUPER SERIES championship win in a row with a margin of 15 points over Azzurra and 19 points over Rán Racing.

Quantum Racing, skippered by America’s Cup winner Ed Baird with Terry Hutchinson as tactician also won the US 52 SUPER SERIES in the early Spring and were crowned TP52 World Champions in Sardinia in June.

Their 2014 title win reflects a high level of experience, their crew containing more America’s Cup winners than any other on the Circuit, but their continual drive for perfection was sometimes further spurred by disappointment or frustration. After winning in the USA they only managed third at the first regatta of the Barclays 52 SUPER SERIES in Capri, some six points behind regatta winners Azzurra.

But a comprehensive, soul-baring debrief followed and at the World Championship on Sardinia the next month they started like out like lions and were ultimately unstoppable.

Similarly two days ago, with the season’s championship within touching distance, they faltered on the Coastal Course. They de-briefed and regrouped. Today, when they started the first race in light breezes, there was no mistaking their clarity of focus and purpose, going on to a decisive win. That was the race which put them on the top step of the 2014 podium, out of reach of nearest challengers Azzurra and Rán Racing.

Skipper Baird paid tribute to the team’s skill and fighting spirit:

One of the super strengths of this team is that everyone on this team comes down here every day saying ‘how can I do it better today than yesterday ? ’ When you fight with that kind of mentality on your side, you just never allow yourself to back up, to do your job any less well than before. When you start with great guys, you have that fighting instinct on your side through good and bad it is wonderful.

Smiling on the Marina Ibiza dockside Hutchinson noted,

Every now and then we had a good thrashing and we had one again the other day on the coastal race. And it was good to bounce back from that in the first race today which we won, and it was good to bounce back from Capri and won the world championship and that started the ball rolling in the right direction again. But everyone here is so very good and we have the ultimate respect for them and so when they beat you you have to take a good look at what they did and what we did. We had a good evaluation after Capri and that helped us for sure.

One of our biggest strengths is that we sail the boat really well in compromised positions. And so when from a tactical point of view when we are not in the best spot then the boat is always going fast through the water.

Azzurra, with Guillermo Parada skipper-helm and Vasco Vascotto as tactician, got the better of Rán Racing here with second overall at the regatta to finish runners up to Quantum Racing on the championship table again. Rán Racing won the final race of the season to squeeze Sled out of third place at the ZENITH Royal Cup Marina Ibiza regatta. The middle of the fleet was much closer than ever before, only four points separating Rán Racing from fourth placed Sled and fifth placed Marc Blees and the Gaastra Pro team.

Vascotto concluded:

I feel very happy. I think that from a sports point of view the team which won deserved to win. I think we need to be happy about that. They did a very, very good job. And they are the dream team in the boat, but they are very good in preparation, speedwise, they are a fantastic benchmark. It is easy for us for us sometimes to try to copy them, what they did to close the gap with them. I think this week we changed a lot of things and we are a lot more competitive.

Final Standings: 2014 BARCLAYS 52 SUPER SERIES
2014 Season Overall after 4 Regattas (Top 6)

1. Quantum Racing, USA, (Doug De Vos USA) 81pts
2. Azzurra, ITA, (Alberto Roemmers ARG) 96pts
3. Rán Racing, SWE, (Niklas Zennström SWE) 100pts
4. Phoenix, BRA, (Eduardo de Souza Ramos BRA) 124pts
5. Gladiator, GBR, (Tony Langley GBR) 147pts
6. Provezza 7, TUR, (Ergin Imre TUR) 170pts

Final Standings: ZENITH Royal Cup Marina Ibiza
Overall after 8 races

1. Quantum Racing, USA, (Doug DeVos USA) (1,2,3,2,1,6,1,7) 23pts
2. Azzurra, ITA, (Alberto Roemmers ARG) (3,5,2,1,6,2,4,3) 26pts
3. Rán Racing, SWE, (Niklas Zennström SWE) (2,4,4,4,5,7,7,1) 34pts
4. Sled, USA, (Takashi Okura USA) (4,1,6,3,4,DNF/9,3,6) 36pts
5. Gaastra Pro, NED (Marc Blees NED) (6,6,1,8,2,5,6,4) 38pts
6. Provezza 7, TUR, (Ergin Imre TUR) (7,3,7,6,7,3,5,2) 40pts
7. Gladiator, GBR, (Tony Langley GBR) (5,7,8,5,3,4,8,5) 45pts
8. Phoenix, BRA, (Eduardo de Souza Ramos BRA) (8,8,5,7,8,1,2,8) 47pts

Quotes:

It is fantastic to win the circuit for a second time. It is terrific of Quantum to provide us with this project and to provide for us to win is just fantastic.
Ed Baird (USA) skipper-helm Quantum Racing (USA)

It was all to play for. We saw the right shift coming down the track from the windward side. At one and a half minutes to go Ed made the call, ‘I need a final call’ and we stuck with our plan to be the leeward most boat and going straight off the line. We executed a really nice start and that made it easier but the breeze went right off the line and we were a little bit out on the right on our Jack Jones, but patience sat it out and the breeze came back. All was good.
Terry Hutchinson (USA) tactician Quantum Racing (USA)

Every now and then we had a good thrashing and we had one again the other day on the coastal race. And it was good to bounce back from that in the first race today which we won, and it was good to bounce back from Capri and won the world championship and that started the ball rolling in the right direction again. But everyone here is so very good and we have the ultimate respect for them and so when they beat you you have to take a good look at what they did and what we did. We had a good evaluation after Capri and that helped us for sure. One of our biggest strengths is that we sail the boat really well in compromised positions. And so when from a tactical point of view when we are not in the best spot then the boat is always going fast through the water. That is down to a combination of Ed and Warwick Jonesy and Lorenzo, that is a combination of our sails, of our rig set up, there are probably five or six things which contribute to that. But there is certainly a strength in sailing the boat well in compromised positions. And then when we are no longer compromised we can just let her roll.
Terry Hutchinson

This year has been totally different. There has been no planing. It has been a lot of lighter airs. So it has been a different season that way. And so you just have to fight and think in a different way. One of the super strengths is that every one on this team comes down here every day saying ‘how can I do it better today than yesterday’ When you fight with that kind of mentality on your side, you just never allow yourself to back up, to do your job any less well than before. When you start with great guys, you have that fighting instinct it is wonderful.
Ed Baird

The whole idea now is to keep this rumbling along into next year. The excitement is in having a whole fleet of new boats. Everybody has to learn their equipment and learn each other again. And we expect windier venues. We are looking forwards to it.
Ed Baird

We play off each other. I am quieter and I am really trying to focus on what I need to do to help the team do its very best and sometimes I have to jump up and be strong and be rough and tough, and sometimes you have to settle back and do what is needed of you. Terry has to be in the moment, in a tight area, and sometimes looking at the big picture. Sometimes you have to give away a boat for a later gain to be in a position you like. That allows me to focus on sailing the boat fast.
Ed Baird, on Terry Hutchinson

One of our strengths is how we are different. On the boat Ed is patient and methodical, smooth and I have an element of that but I am more animated some of the time. But that balance keeps us going in the right direction, because when I get too animated Ed will pull me back. But when we need to be aggressive he can give me a nudge and we have that shot in our bag too. It is a pretty good balance in this kind of relationship.
Terry Hutchinson on Ed Baird

We did not finish where we wanted but it was a really enjoyable season. It came down to the last day between second and third place. Quantum pretty much had it in the bag already, but it is getting closer and closer. We feel like we have been sailing pretty well. And we still had a few bad races but the conditions have been tricky. So overall we are very pleased. Next year the fleet will be bigger and the level higher, 12-14 boats at each event and so the strategy will be different. It is also going to be harder but the venues for next season look good. I look forwards to Cascais which is also a good, windy venue.
Niklas Zennström (SWE) owner-driver Rán Racing (SWE)

I feel very happy. I think that from a sports point of view the team which won deserved to win. I think we need to be happy about that. They did a very, very good job. And they are the dream team in the boat, but they are very good in preparation, speedwise, they are a fantastic benchmark. It is easy for us for us sometimes to try to copy them, what they did to close the gap with them. I think this week we changed a lot of things and we are a lot more competitive. We had four races ahead and four behind (them). That means the changes we have made are good. I hope this can be good for next year. We start next year from what we have learned this week. I am very positive. There are mistakes we need to solve. I think the points are an accurate reflection of the differences. They struggled in Capri and reacted immediately. Then they were afraid. We reacted at the end, too late.
Vasco Vascotto (ITA) tactician Azzurra (ITA)

The positives are that we were getting off the starting line quite well and we were moving through the water quite well. So it was nice most of the time – with the exception of the coastal race – to be in with the group, mixing it up. There a few points on the table that we would have loved to go the other way and to have made it a little easier going into today, the final day, but we are happy. Our goal was Top 5 and that was where we finished, close to the podium, it could have gone any way in that last race. It turned out to be a bit of a casino out there, and we got what we got. That is sailboat racing. We don’t know what we will have until we are in the boat next year, but assuming it is a strong boat, I think it will come down to the basics for us, good starts, good tacks, good gybes changing gears and trying to keep it relatively simple and not get bogged down with too many small details, trying to do simple things well.
Ross MacDonald (CAN) tactician Sled (USA)