Azzurra at the start of the Rolex TP52 World Championship
Flying the colors of the YCCS, Azzurra starts off the Rolex TP52 World Championship, the third event of 52 Super Series, leading in the circuit’s provisional results.
Only a few hours are left before the start of the Rolex TP52 World Championship at Scarlino in the Tuscan Maremma. Due to conclude on Saturday, May 20th, the event scores both in the World Championships and as the third event of the 52 Super Series, following on the heels of the season’s openers on the other side of the Atlantic, in Key West and Miami, Florida.
Azzurra is leading the circuit’s provisional results thanks to their victory in Miami. The team has a seven point lead over second placed Platoon and 11 over the American team Quantum Racing, reigning world champion, eager to retake the lead and close the distance to the YCCS yacht.
All ten teams in Scarlino have prepared meticulously, optimizing their boats right down to the smallest detail and studying new tricks to increase performance and gain that little bit to edge out their adversaries. Azzurra has proven that they have closed the gap in performance separating them from Quantum, but this time not only the Americans are in the running for top honors - any of the ten teams could win. The most dangerous are certainly Platoon, constantly improving, and Ran, who in 2013 at the TP52 Worlds in Miami beat Azzurra out of the title by only one point. Azzurra, the sporting symbol of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, then authoritatively conquered the 2015 world title.
Morale on board Azzurra is high, the crew is concentrated and know they are ready, but they also know how to maintain a champion’s humility, with the necessary respect for their opponents. This Rolex TP52 World Championship will be a closely fought battle with Vascotto in top form after winning the Rolex Capri Sailing Week in the Farr 40 Class, the opening series in the great Mediterranean racing season partnered by Rolex.
The practice race took place today, Monday the 15th, and the opening ceremony will be this evening in the Marina di Scarlino. Tomorrow’s racing will award points, with no discards, for both Worlds and the 52 Super Series. The racing program, weather withstanding, has two windward-leewards each day and includes a costal race on Thursday. The starting gun is set for 1pm, CET.
For the first part of the week the weather forecast gives medium strength northerly thermals, topping out at 18 knots, with the winds possibly going southerly for the weekend.
Quotes of the day:
Riccardo Bonadeo, Commodore of the YCCS: 'On this occasion I entrusted my traditional good luck wishes to the crew of Azzurra directly to the owner of Azzurra, Pablo Roemmers, here with us at Porto Cervo to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, on the 12th of May. Thanks to the new technologies that the internet offers, we can follow the racing and cheer on our team just as if we were in the waters off Scarlino, while we look forward to hosting all the teams in the Audi 52 Super Series Sailing Week in Porto Cervo this June.”
Guillermo Parada, skipper: “We love racing in Scarlino even though our results here last season weren’t exactly the best and ended up compromising the rest of the season. So this year we need to make up for that. We are working hard, testing new solutions and training intensively to win the TP52 World Championship cup again.”
Vasco Vascotto, tactician: “We’re back in Italy with high hopes, but also quite aware that everyone is here in Scarlino to win the Worlds. It’s going to be very difficult; after Miami we continued to work on our performance and we are still at it today. To come to the Worlds in the lead after the first two events in the US shows that we are on the right track and we will continue to improve, the rest of the teams are surely working hard to close the gap.”
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