Basilica and Hilfiger share the honours at VX40 GP

by Ben Faber on 13 Jun 2006 The two teams battling it out for the VX40 series title were head to head once again on the third day of the Rotterdam Grand Prix this afternoon, with the British boat ending the day with one more point than their American rivals.

In two of the day’s four races Basilica and Hilfiger occupied the two top spots, but it was Basilica who ended the day on top, claiming two wins, a second and a fourth to close them gap on the Americans for the second consecutive day.

The results mean that Basilica now lies in second place on 78 points, seven behind Hilfiger who have 85.

A strong start was once again the key to success as the narrow race course on the Maas made passing very difficult, and it was Holmatro who made the best start in race one, leaving the all-British boat from Hayling Island Sailing Club to trail them into second place. Race two saw Basilica go one better, storming ahead of the fleet from the start line to lead until the end ahead of Hilfiger.

In race three congestion at the start saw the Brits pushed back into fourth as Volvo Ocean Race sped ahead to win comfortably with Hilfiger once again in second. Then in the final race, needing a strong finish to close the gap on the Americans, Basilica helmsman Alister Richardson guided Basilica past Hilfiger as they approached the first downward mark to take a lead that they never surrendered.

Basilica skipper James Grant was delighted with another strong performance and with the momentum that his team have picked up with each day in Rotterdam:

We are very happy with the way we sailed today and after two wins and a second we are now in a great position to catch the leaders. Having gained points on Hilfiger both yesterday and today we are building momentum and everything is pointing towards a very close final two days. We will continue to try to sail as we did today and to carry on improving. If we do that we have a good chance of catching the Americans over the next two days, and we can’t wait to give it a go.'

With the winds getting stronger in Rotterdam, this final VX40 Grand Prix of 2006 is heading for a nail-biting finish, as three boats sit within ten points of each other at the top of the leader board. Two more days of sailing still remain (on Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th June) with at least three races scheduled to take place on each day.

Rotterdam Volvo Extreme 40 Grand Prix Points Standings after day three:

1. Tommy Hilfiger – 85 points
2. Basilica – 78 points
3. Motorola-CHR – 75 points
4. Holmatro – 68 points
5. Volvo Ocean Race – 56 points

Volvo Extreme 40 Grand Prix Series Overall Points Standings:

1. Tommy Hilfiger – 32 points
2. Basilica – 30 points
3. Motorola-CHR – 26 points