Region of Sardinia Trophy 2011 gets underway today

Region of Sardinia Trophy 2011 will get underway in Cagliari, Sardinia tomorrow. The daytime temperatures have been rising but as the mercury climbs over the next few days, for the skippers and crews competition will be about ignoring the heat and reading the small, subtle changes on a race arena which is now well known to many of the crews.

Adrian Stead (GBR) tactician on the Audi MedCup Circuit 52 Series leader Quantum Racing (USA) is not alone in his belief that, across the mix of sea breezes and the high likelihood of the strong NW’ly Mistral, that is expected between now and the event’s climax next Sunday, this should be the tightest regatta of the season yet this season.

At this third regatta of the five event 2011 Audi MedCup Circuit season, gains and losses on Cagliari’s Gulf of Angels are likely to smaller than the extreme ups-and- downs of Marseille last month.

And, not only are teams now much more acquainted with how to sail their new boats at their fastest across a wider range of conditions, but most now have had time to bring improvements on stream to sails, hulls, rigs and appendages in the quest for better speed:

' I think this will be the closest regatta because everyone who has been able to make changes to their boat has now been able to implement that, and we will be seeing all the boats at their best now. In the first two regattas we might have seen some of the boats slightly compromised.' Explains Stead.

'I think on Quantum Racing we are setting ourselves up here for a very different race course to what we have seen this year, much more subtle. A lot of people have raced here and on different race courses here too, and so we stay a little open minded about what the mechanics of the bay are, what is driving here.. I think this regatta is one of subtleties. It is much more of a subtle sea breeze area where you are looking for every half a boat length here and there, while Marseille was really about managing the extremes and Cascais was windy and on predictable track.'

TP52 Day 2, Quantum Racing - Marseille Trophy 2011 -  © Francesco Ferri_Studio Borlenghi/Audi MedCup   Click Here to view large photo

The official practice race is scheduled for tomorrow Tuesday. To date here in informal practice José Cusi’s Bribon (ESP) has been one of the consistently quickest boats on the water, despite it being, as a 2009 build, one of the ‘older’ designs, not one of the pack of six new TP52’s launched for this season.

'I think that in general our boat is probably the best all rounder in the fleet across the full range of condition and it has the potential for sure to be on the podium. Now it is just up to us as a crew to sail it better!' says Ignasi Triay (ESP), project manager and trimmer on Bribon, a team which this season is celebrating 40 years of Bribon yachts.

The 52 Series programme runs with windward-leeward points races Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday with the coastal race Saturday.

In the 40 Series, the host island and indeed the hopes Sardinia’s capital city will be carried on board XXII-Sardegna this week. The local team of Melges 32 owner Roberto Pardini steps up to the challenge of racing in the white hot Soto 40 fleet. The crew, all from Cagliari, will race on the Audi MedCup Circuit on the boat which goes to local teams at each Audi MedCup regatta. Tactician Lorenzo Gemini even admits that he has been to each Sardinia Trophy regatta here as a spectator but it is a dream come true for them to be racing on the world’s leading regatta circuit on their home waters:

Crews carrying the sails after training - Region of Sardinia Trophy 2011 -  http://www.medcup.org!©_Pedro_Martinez-Audi_MedCup   Click Here to view large photo

'It's a dream to be here.' Smiles tactician Gemini, 'We do participate in top regattas like the Melges circuit, but it is nothing like this Audi MedCup. We never had the chance to take part in a regatta with an onshore set up as big as this. In past years I came here as a spectator to see the race, I always been amazed at the excitement just watching in the Open Village and all the buzz around about it. But now, being able to experience the event as a competitor is amazing. It's a dream come true.'

Roberto Pardini is the owner-skipper who will steer XXII-Sardegna with Gemini as tactician. His brother Alessandro Gemini trims along with Jacopo Trudu, Luca Segneri is pitman, Francesco Chessa Orrù is on the bow and Ignazio Diaz and Mario Alberto Floris on mainsail.

The official institutional presentation for the Sardinia Trophy took place today at the inauguration of the Race Village. Among those in attendance were Nacho Postigo (ESP) Technical Director Audi MedCup Circuit, Andrea Cocco (ITA) Tourism Secretary of the Region of Sardinia, Barbara Argiolas (ITA) Cagliari Tourism Town Councillor, Paolo Fadda (ITA) President of the Ports Authority and Alberto Floris (ITA) President of the YCC (Yacht Club Cagliari).

Region of Sardinia Trophy Presentation - Region of Sardinia Trophy 2011 -  http://www.medcup.org!©_Pedro_Martinez-Audi_MedCup   Click Here to view large photo

Floris said: 'This is one of the major events in our Region, and that's why we should make all the efforts for it to come back in future years. The most famous sailors, and the most famous boat owners come here, and that helps appear is appear in media and newspapers all around the world. Also, the revenues achieved last year show that this is a good investment'.