MedCup Region of Sardinia Trophy 2011 victories for Azzurra

by Giuliano Luzzatto on 25 Jul 2011 On the final day of the Audi MedCup Region of Sardinia Trophy 2011, Audi Azzurra Sailing Team achieved an inspiring recovery by claiming both a second and a first place.

Audi Azzurra Sailing Team were certainly the heroes of the day in Cagliari, where the boat flying the burgee of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda achieved an incredible result in a Region of Sardinia Trophy dominated by Audi All4One. A brisk Mistral wind was blowing in Cagliari from early morning that allowed two spectacular regattas to be held. Azzurra dominated the first race but was overtaken metres from the finish line by Container who tore past on a gust to beat Azzurra by just three seconds in a photo finish that also involved third-placed Bribon.

The second race saw alternating lead changes in a battle between Azzurra, Quantum and Ran in which the Italian team fought convincingly. At the finish line Azzurra had an impressive lead of more than 300 metres, equivalent to 20 seconds, while behind her the exhilarating TP52 race developed into a battle to the last gybe between Audi All4One, Ran and Bribon, all three of whom finished together in the space of just five seconds. Spectacular racing indeed!

'A great result, we raced well using not only our hearts but also our heads, unlike the start of the week.' commented tactician Francesco Bruno on his return to shore. 'In addition we felt the effects of some fine tuning to the boat.'

Strategist Vasco Vascotto agreed: 'We did a great job and showed ourselves and everyone else that we are a strong, united crew. When things get tough those who are not united keep going down but we picked ourselves up and made an incredible comeback and that's the most important thing. Paradoxically the key moment was two days ago when we finished fifth even though we had made no mistakes. It would have been easy to lose faith in ourselves but instead we came even closer together, convinced that things could only change, and change they did!'

'Finally the hard work and perseverance of each and every member of the crew has been rewarded,' concluded skipper Guillermo Parada, 'each day we went out on the water wanting to improve even though things weren't going as we hoped they would. This result, which we would like to dedicate to our Italian supporters, is a great incentive for us as we look towards the rest of the season.'

Audi Azzurra Sailing Team is third in the overall classification for the Audi MedCup circuit, just a few points behind the leader. The next leg that the team will participate in will be held in Cartagena, Spain from 23 to 28 August.

Final Classification – Region of Sardinia Trophy 2011:

1. Audi Sailing Team by All4One p. 26.5
2. Audi Azzurra Sailing Team p. 35.5
3. Bribon p. 37
4. Container p. 38
5. Quantum Racing p. 42
6. Ran p. 43,5
7. Synergy Russian Sailing Team p. MedCup Azzurra Sailing Team website