Italian Taki 4 on top of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series ranking
by IM24CA on 12 Sep 2017
Melges 24 fleet at the 20th Melges 24 World Championship in Helsinki, Finland Pierrick Contin
http://www.pierrickcontin.fr/
After the 20th Melges 24 World Championship held in Helsinki, Finland in the beginning of August, Melges 24 European fleet has enjoyed a short summer break before the final stages of the 2017 Melges 24 European Sailing Series.
It's fascinating to see who is winning the intermediate scoring finish while approaching to the end of the series. Reigning Corinthian World Champion, Italian TAKI 4 of Marco Zammarchi with Niccolò Bertola in helm is in the lead both in overall and Corinthian divisions.
Four events of the 2017 Melges 24 European Sailing Series have been held up to now. The 2017 series started with a traditional season opener in Portoroz, Slovenia in April and continued in Riva del Garda, Italy in May. To feel better the conditions of the Nordic waters the third event of the series was held in Marstrand, Sweden in June considered also as the Melges 24 Nordic Championship. Melges 24 World Championship in Helsinki, Finland in August was the fourth stage of the European series.
The current rankings of the 2017 Melges 24 European Sailing Series include the results of the thirty six single races completed during four events of the series taking into account six discards. Three teams have been travelling entire road trip of Slovenia-Italy-Sweden-Finland taking part of all four events so far - the same teams stand on top of the current overall ranking.
In overall ranking Italian TAKI 4 of Marco Zammarchi with Niccolò Bertola in helm has been in Top 10 of the overall division in all events of the 2017 series: Eighth in Slovenia, fifth in Italy, first in Sweden and fifth in Finland.
Miles Quinton's Gill Race Team (GBR) with Geoff Carveth in helm, as the main competitor for Taki 4 in Corinthian division, is thirty five points behind ranked as a second with slightly different results in the first four events - fifth, seventh, second and eighth.
Bo Boje Pedersen's UPUPUP (DEN) had a great start of the season with second podium place in Slovenia followed by the 10th position in Riva del Garda and seventh in Sweden while the rank of the Worlds for him in Helsinki was 20th. These three in top three are followed by the top Italian teams of Claudio Ceradini's Altea with Andrea Racchelli in helm, the first team to miss the podium in Helsinki, but the winner of the 2016 Melges 24 European Sailing Series and Gianluca Perego's Maidollis with Carlo Fracassoli in helm, newly crowned World Champion in Helsinki.
In overall ranking top five boats are (88 boats ranked from 18 nations):
1. Taki 4 ITA778 - Niccolò Bertola, Giacomo Fossati, Marco Zammarchi, Matteo De Chiara, Giovanni Bannetta - 174 pts
2. Gill Race Team GBR694 - Geoff Carveth, Miles Quinton, Christian Birrell, Dan Schieber, Liam Gardener - 209 pts
3. UPUPUP DEN837 - Bo Boje Pedersen, Joachim Aschenbrenner, Jeppe Ditlev, Casper Ladefogde, Kristian Kvid- 303.9 pts
4. Altea ITA822 - Andrea Racchelli, Claudio Ceradini, Gaudenzio Bonini, Matteo Ramian, Michele Gregoratto - 449 pts
5. Maidollis ITA854 - Carlo Fracassoli, Enrico Fonda, Gianluca Perego, Stefano Lagi, Giovanni Ferrari - 489 pts
In Corinthian division the same two teams are leading in the same order as in the overall ranking - TAKI 4 and Gill Race Team. While Italians have scored fourth in Slovenia and three top places in three events, then Gill Race Team has been second in all events during the season. Third rank has been taken by the Estonian Tõnu Tõniste's Lenny completing the same Corinthian Top three as at the Worlds in Helsinki.
Lenny missed the regatta in Marstrand, but has been third at all the rest of the series' events. Also the fourth placement in the ranking belongs to the team who was fourth also at the Worlds - Michael Tarabochia's White Room (GER) with Luis Tarabochia in helm. Italian team of Sergio Caramel, Arkanoe Aleali by Montura is ranked as fifth and depending on which teams are going to take part last two events of the series, a lot can change yet in the ranking.
In Corinthian division top five boats are (55 teams ranked from 17 nations):
1. Taki 4 ITA778 - Niccolò Bertola, Giacomo Fossati, Marco Zammarchi, Matteo De Chiara, Giovanni Bannetta - 65 pts
2. Gill Race Team GBR694 - Geoff Carveth, Miles Quinton, Christian Birrell, Dan Schieber, Liam Gardener - 73 pts
3. Lenny EST790 - Tõnu Tõniste, Toomas Tõniste, Tammo Otsasoo, Andres Rohtla, Maiki Saaring - 351 pts
4. White Room GER677 - Luis Tarabochia, Sebastian Buehler, Michael Tarabochia, Caro Tiegel, Laura Fischer, Marco Tarabochia - 381 pts
5. Arkanoe Aleali by Montura ITA139 - Sergio Caramel, Filippo Orvieto, Margherita Zanuso, Riccardo Gomiero, Federico Gomiero - 527 pts
The fifth event of the 2017 Melges 24 European Sailing Series will be held in upcoming weekend in Medemblik, the Netherlands. Melges 24 fleet will sail there together with other classes at the Delta Lloyd Dutch Open Championships. 2017 Melges 24 European Sailing Series will come to an end in Luino, Italy in October with the 14th edition of the Lino Favini Cup (Coppa Lino Favini), considered also as the Melges 24 Swiss Open Championship and fourth Act of Melges 24 Italian Series 2017.
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