Full speed ahead for Armin Strom in the GC32 Racing Tour Grand Finale

by Quinag Communications on 14 Oct 2016 Currently lying third in the overall standings, Armin Strom Sailing Team are keen to secure their first regatta victory of the season in the fifth and final chapter of the 2016 GC32 Racing Tour.

Currently underway in Marseille, the first day of GC32 racing was called off due to gale force winds, but weather permitting, it will be all action stations over the next few days.

The international team on Armin Strom has enjoyed a consistent first season together. Opening their campaign with a second place in the special GC32 Alps Challenge Traunsee in Austria, they have since collected a third, sixth, second and fourth in the Series itself. Although Armin Strom’s third place in the overall standings appears a secure position, the competitive team is anything but complacent.

Fresh from a challenging regatta in Sotogrande, Spain last month, the prospect of finishing the season with a regatta victory in France is certainly on the cards according to bowman Shane Diviney who admits that the goal of winning the final event is a huge motivation. “We’ve shown real potential to crack the top three during the tour events so far and it would be awesome to win the last one,” explains the 25-year-old Irishman.

Originally from Dublin, Shane is the only Armin Strom Sailing Team member to have been named in the race crew line up for all six events this year. He says his year spent on the foils has been a steep learning curve following years of sailing dinghies and keelboats – but one he has thoroughly enjoyed.

Diviney elaborates: “The world of foiling is an incredibly exciting one, and the transition into these high flying machines has been a great experience. Although the boats I have sailed in the past have been quite different to the GC32s, the knowledge and quick thinking required in circuits like match racing have prepared me well for the rapid attention needed on the GC32s. Planning ahead is crucial, and even though you can be hurtling along at close to 30 knots, enough time needs to be allowed to prepare for the demanding manoeuvres.”

Retaining the same crew from the previous event, Shane is joined by skipper and helmsman Flavio Marazzi, World Match Racing champion Phil Robertson, Diego Stefani, and Andrew Murdoch, with Sharon Ferris-Choat as coach and team manager.

Armin Strom skipper and GC32 class president Flavio Marazzi says the team will be fighting for every single point in their bid to end the season on a high, explaining: “We have nothing to lose in the overall series, so we’re planning on going full speed ahead. We started this season with a totally new team and have grown in experience over the past six months. The plan for Marseille is to show how strong we’ve become.”

Marazzi believes the 2016 Tour has been a successful one, and hopes to build on its momentum for next season. “We’ve got the formula right with the 25-minute races which are interesting tactically for both athletes and spectators. Overall it’s a great challenge with the best boats and the best sailors competing which makes for great racing,” he says.

Racing is taking place from 13 – 16 October in Marseille.

Overall Tour standings:

Place Team Points

1 NORAUTO 5
2 Team Tilt 8
3 Armin Strom Sailing Team 15
4 Malizia – Yacht Club de Monaco 23
5 Gunvor Sailing 24
6 Team ENGIE 24
7 Argo 24
8 Mamma Aiuto! 30
9 Realteam 31
10 Spindrift Racing 36
11 Orange Racing 37