Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2011 IRC Class B- To Victoire - victory

by Lisa Ratcliff on 27 Aug 2011 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week - Darryl Hodgkinson’s Victoire had the IRC Class B series sewn up before today’s final scheduled Molle Islands Race, the Sydney plastic surgeon’s champion Beneteau 45 remaining on the dock while the rest wallowed about in light winds and drizzle in Dent Passage until racing was postponed.

All Audi Hamilton Island Race Week results at the close of racing yesterday are now final results.

'We are elated,' said Hodgkinson this morning. 'I did my first Race Week in 1997 and not only is this my first win, it’s my first podium placing.

'We had a very successful run, the conditions suited our boat and we really seized the moment.'

On the outcome of the Audi IRC Australian Championship, which will be announced at this evening’s official trophy presentation, Hodgkinson added, 'the Championship and Audi Race Week go hand in hand; for our program the Championship is the reason we are on the island.'

Victoire will return to Sydney to resume its CYCA Bluewater Championship quest, including the final event, the Rolex Sydney Hobart, before heading to Port Lincoln Race Week and back up the east coast to Port Stephens for the end-of-season NSW IRC Championship.

The early part of Race Week brought sunny skies and fresh sou’easterlies gusting over 30 knots. A lingering mist settled over Hamilton Island yesterday is still disrupting some flights to and from the Island.

The low cloud cover means the breeze has well and truly exited the course, down to a measly three knots clocking around the dial in Dent Passage which left the race committee with no choice but to postpone today’s scheduled final race.

A scoresheet showing one third, a second and five firsts has given Hodgkinson and his classy outfit, including former Yendys’ crew and now Victoire’s boat manager Danny McConville and tactician and helmsman Sean Kirkjian, the series victory with seven points. The nearest to them is Paul Clitheroe’s sistership Balance on 18 points.

Had they had an opportunity to sail today, Ray Roberts’ Farr 42 Evolution Racing might have been in the running for second in IRC Class B, instead they have to be happy with third on 21 points from a hotly contested division.

In IRC Class C, Matt Owen skippered the older generation BH36 Local Hero to a win over Peter Sorensen’s near sistership, the Sydney 36 The Philosophers Club from Middle Harbour Yacht Club.

'We only do one regatta a year with the boat so we are ecstatic,' said Owen this afternoon. 'To get this result sailing against the big boys and the guys who race week in week out is testament to a great bunch of guys.'

Campaigned with a majority Canberra based crew and flying the Canberra Yacht Club burgee, Local Hero has found good success at Race Week. Four years ago they made their debut, winning PHS division, the following year they finished third in division on IRC and for the past two years have won their division on IRC handicap.

Local Hero’s on-water victory and timed trial in last year’s Audi Drive Challenge also saw owner Peter Mosely leave Hamilton Island a little heavier in the pocket, the keys to an Audi A5 Sportsback a new addition to his key ring.

In the Super Multihull Division Simon Hull’s New Zealand based Orma 60 TeamVodafoneSailing was the undisputed winner. The trimaran sailed up the east Australian coast to Hamilton Island and added a different and exciting dimension to what has traditionally been a monohull regatta.

Hamilton Island Yacht Club Commodore and America’s Cup regatta director Iain Murray knows firsthand the potential of multihulls and embraces the concept of including them at Race Week.

'We’ve seen the potential of multihulls with the America’s Cup and with TeamVodafoneSailing being on the course this week.

'Clearly it’s a direction the sport is liking; we look forward to expanding the multihull division at Audi Hamilton island Race Week,' Commodore Murray added.

IRC Class B

Series Results [IRC Div B] up to Race 7 (Drops = 1)

Place	Ties	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	Sers Score	Race 7	Race 6	Race 5	Race 4	Race 3	Race 2	Race 1
1		1545	VICTOIRE	Darryl Hodgkinson	7.0	[3.0]	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	2.0
2		7771	BALANCE	Paul Clitheroe	18.0	1.0	4.0	2.0	4.0	2.0	5.0	[9.0]
3		YC4200	EVOLUTION RACING	Ray Roberts	21.0	4.0	2.0	4.0	[6.0]	4.0	2.0	5.0
4		46	EXILE	Robert Reynolds	21.5	2.0	5.0	3.0	5.0	3.0	3.5	[7.0]
5		RQ14	LUNCHTIME LEGEND	Robbo Robertson	23.5	5.0	3.0	5.0	3.0	[8.0]	3.5	4.0
6		MH85	CANUTE	Peter Horn	38.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	[12.0]	7.0	7.0	6.0
7		SM4	WICKED	Mark Welsh	41.0	9.0	9.0	[10.0]	8.0	6.0	6.0	3.0
8		41	MATRIX	Andrew Parkes	48.0	8.0	7.0	[19.0S]	9.0	5.0	11.0	8.0
9		10101	H/H EQUINOX II	Anthony Dunn	52.0	7.0	10.0	7.0	2.0	[19.0O]	12.0	14.0
10		601	GINGER	Leslie Green	57.0	10.0	[14.0]	8.0	10.0	9.0	8.0	12.0
11		RQ64	OCEAN AFFINITY	Stewart Lewis	59.0	11.0	8.0	9.0	7.0	11.0	[14.0]	13.0
12		Q345	VIKING	John Hatch	69.0	13.0	12.0	19.0F	15.0	[19.0C]	9.0	1.0
13		8181	ESPRESSO FORTE	Lawrence Freedman	72.0	17.0	13.0	11.0	11.0	10.0	10.0	[17.0]
14		RQ447	ULTIMATE POSITIONING	Tam Faragher	80.0	12.0	[18.0]	12.0	16.0	12.0	17.0	11.0
15		6838	IOTA	John McNamara	86.0	14.0	15.0	[19.0F]	13.0	13.0	16.0	15.0
16		7777	CALIBRE	G Bonus R Williams	94.0	15.0	11.0	19.0F	14.0	19.0C	[19.0C]	16.0
17		6841	PAPILLON	Phil Molony	95.0	16.0	17.0	19.0F	18.0	[19.0C]	15.0	10.0
18		SM2004	ANOTHER CHALLENGE	Chris Lewin	101.0	18.0	16.0	19.0F	17.0	[19.0C]	13.0	18.0

IRC Class C

Series Results [IRC Div C] up to Race 7 (Drops = 1)

Place	Ties	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	Sers Score	Race 7	Race 6	Race 5	Race 4	Race 3	Race 2	Race 1
1		1236	LOCAL HERO	Matt Owen	10.0	1.0	2.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	4.0	[4.0]
2		MH20	THEPHILOSOPHERS CLUB	Peter Sorenson	14.0	3.0	1.0	4.0	2.0	[8.0Y]	1.0	3.0
3		6777	ONYA	Andrew Hurt	20.0	5.0	3.0	5.0	3.0	3.0	[5.0]	1.0
4		6935	LALTRA DONNA	Andy Kearnan	25.0	2.0	4.0	10.0	[16.0F]	4.0	3.0	2.0
5		RQ888	JESSANDRA	Roland Dane	38.0	13.0	5.0	2.0	[16.0F]	2.0	8.0	8.0
6	2.0S	2608	RAPID TRANSIT	Robert Dempsey	43.0	10.0	10.0	6.0	9.0	6.0	2.0	[14.0]
7		771	DOUBLE O SEVEN	Jeffrey Brown	43.0	7.0	[12.0]	9.0	5.0	7.0	10.0	5.0
8		16129	NEAT ENG. WAILEA	Neil Padden	47.0	4.0	6.0	12.0	[16.0F]	12.0	6.0	7.0
9		L320	SOUTHPORT MENTOR	Shane Smith	48.0	11.0	7.0	3.0	6.0	10.0	[12.0]	11.0
10	4.0S	SM377	BACARDI	Martin Power	54.0	6.0	13.0	[16.0F]	4.0	11.0	11.0	9.0
11		7014	KETCHUP	Steven England	54.0	[14.0]	8.0	7.0	11.0	8.0	7.0	13.0
12		63344	KOKO	Elizabeth Leslie	62.0	9.0	9.0	11.0	10.0	13.0	[13.0]	10.0
13		135	LEE-WAY/ENSIGNRACING	Tony Horkings	63.0	8.0	11.0	16.0F	7.0	9.0	[16.0F]	12.0
14		L1	HAMILTON MENTOR	Roen Quinn	70.0	12.0	14.0	8.0	8.0	14.0	14.0	[15.0]
15		4018	GRIZZLY	Janet Dean	79.0	16.0C	16.0S	16.0S	16.0F	[16.0F]	9.0	6.0

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week!

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