Louis Vuitton Trophy, penalizzati Mascalzone e i kiwi
LV TrophyVela 14 Novembre 2010 Zerogradinord 0
Louis Vuitton Trophy – Dubai – La prima giornata dell’ultimo Louis Vuitton Trophy regala subito emozioni.
È Mascalzone Latino Audi Team di Gavin Brady & Co. a vincere l’incontro inaugurale contro i “padroni di casa” di Emirates Team New Zealand con un solido distacco (27’’) al termine di una regata che ha visto gli uomini di Gavin Brady rendersi protagonisti di un grande sorpasso dopo aver ceduto la leadership conquistata nel corso della prima bolina.
Nell’immediato match seguente, che, per regolamento, viene disputato senza cambio barche ma invertendo l’ingresso nel box di partenza, i Mascalzoni sono carichi e determinati a ripetere la stessa performance. Purtroppo all’avvicinamento alla prima boa di bolina, raggiunta dai team praticamente appaiati, gli Umpire ravvisano un’irregolarità e Mascalzone Latino viene penalizzato. Nei concitati istanti immediatamente successivi, la barca di Brady, però, subisce la collisione da parte degli avversari e si ritrova il tangone del gennaker dentro la fiancata. Regata finita, barche a terra e vittoria assegnata ai kiwi.
Nel corso del tardo pomeriggio, la Giuria, chiamata ad esprimere il suo parere su quanto accaduto, ha inflitto un punto di penalità al team italiano e mezzo punto all’equipaggio di Dean Barker, cui è stata imputato il mancato tentativo di evitare la collisione.
Nelle altre regate della giornata, BMW Oracle Racing vince entrambi i match contro i franco-tedeschi di All4One. Sono proprio gli americani di James Spithill, forti delle due vittorie, a conquistare la vetta provvisoria della classifica, mentre Francesco Bruni su Synergy chiude la giornata con un parziale di 1-1 contro i suoi rivali di oggi, gli svedesi di Artemis.
Nella giornata di domani, Mascalzone Latino Audi Team avrà due match contro Synergy: sarà interessante vedere i due fuoriclasse all’azione, l’ “italiano” Gavin Brady contro il “russo” Francesco Bruni.
Classifica provvisoria
1. BMW Oracle Racing, 2-0, pt. 2
2. Artemis, 1-1, pt. 1
2. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 1-1, pt. 1
4. Emirates Team New Zealand, 1-1, pt. 0,5*
5. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 1-1, pt. 0**
6. All4One, 0-2, pt. 0
* -0,5 pt.
** -1 pt.
LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY, BMW ORACLE RACING IS THE FIRST LEADER
[Louis Vuitton Trophy Press Release] James Spithill, winner of the 33rd America’s Cup and defender of the 34th America’s Cup, topped the standings on the opening day of racing in the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai.
The young Australian skipper steered BMW Oracle Racing to a 2-0 record over the French/German boat All4One while the other four boats in the contest posted 1-1 records.
Racing was close and eventful on the short windward-leeward courses tucked into gulf waters between Dubai Creek and the palm-tree shaped man-made islands of The Palm Jumeirah.
There were two collisions, one serious, when Dean Barker’s Emirates Team New Zealand speared its spinnaker pole through the side of Mascalzone Latino Audi steered by Gavin Brady. No one was hurt but Brady was penalized twice in the incident and race officials asked Brady to withdraw to avoid further damage to the Kiwi boat.
Cameron Dunn from Mascalzone said his team was head to wind when the New Zealand boat tried to turn inside them and their spinnaker pole sliced into the brittle carbonfiber topsides of the Italian boat.
“It went straight through the carbonfiber,” Dunn said. “It’s not a very thick skin at that point. It’s not designed to take impacts on the side. We’re lucky it wasn’t much worse. It could have been considerably worse. I’m surprised the bow didn’t hit. Luckily it was just the spinnaker pole. No one was hurt. It was pretty exciting for the 18th man in the back, and the television cameraman.”
Ray Davies, tactician on Emirates Team New Zealand said: “It was pretty dramatic. Obviously not what anyone wants. A lot of damage, a broken spinnaker pole and a big hole in a boat. It’s not a good way to start but the guys are working on repairs and it should be OK for tomorrow.”
Following a jury hearing into the collision, Mascalzone Latino Audi was docked one point while Emirates Team New Zealand lost half a point. Before racing started, race officials had warned sailors about actions that might render boats incapable of racing.
In the other incident, young French helmsman Sebastien Col flicked the bow of his French/German boat All4One into the safety wands on the stern of BMW Oracle Racing. The contact earned him a penalty flag and he lost the race.
Dubai skies were clear, hot and sunny skies as racing got under way after a short delay. The sea breeze came in at 6-8 knots and built to 14 to 15 knots as the afternoon wore on. Boats raced twice around a windward-leeward course with a mid course start finish line that also served as a gate for all legs.
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