Audi Melges 20 Sailing Series 2013 - Incredible opener in Gaeta

by Joy Dunigan on 21 Apr 2013 The Audi Melges 20 Sailing Series opened its 2013 session today with four incredible races. A nice sea breeze of five to 10 knots with waves and current greeted the fleet on the Gulf of Gaeta leaving Alessio Marinelli at the helm for Guido Miani on Out of Reach in first place overall. Miani, with tactician Gabriele Benussi now maintains an eight-point margin to lead Giancarlo Capolino's Legionario in second and Mirko de Falco's Pecceré in third, followed by Achille Onorato's Mascalzone Latino, Jr. in fourth.

Claudio Dutto's Asante Sana had a very positive day, ranking amongst some of the best performing teams. Francesco Farneti aboard ITA-157 was fast all day, however had to withdraw from the fourth race, reducing any possibility of ending up at the top of the leaderboard.

Gold Cup Champions Alessandro Rombelli on STIG (2011) and Dario Levi on Fremito d'Arja (2012) had a difficult day finishing 10th and 13th respectively overall today.

Racing will finish up on Sunday. With at least two races scheduled, a discard will go into effect after six heats. The Race Committee, ruled by a careful Costanzo Villa, has slated Sunday's start for 11.30 a.m. Forecasts are calling for a mild sea breeze.

The 2013 Audi Melges 20 Sailing Series is organized by B-Plan Sport and Events in full collaboration with the International Audi Melges 20 Class Association,Melges Europe and Yacht Club Gaeta EVS.

The Audi Quattro Experience Test Drives are back

The Sailing Series continues its test drive tradition in 2013. At every event, the Audi Quattro Instructors will be available to guide all those interested in experiencing some of the most recent Audi models. The Audi A3 SB, RS5, SQ5 and S6 Avant will be available in Gaeta. For more information and test drive bookings, please call 345.3472530 or send an email to the Audi Quattro Experience.

Audi Melges 20 Sailing Series Partners

In addition to title sponsor Audi, the 2013 Sailing Series is supported by official sponsor AstiHour, a very refreshing fruit cocktail that will be served during happy hours at the Audi Hospitality Village. Other sponsors include Kuehne+Nagel, Yeykey, Helly Hansen, and SimBroker e Nacora.

Top Ten Results (After Four Races)

1.) Guido Miani/Gabriele Benussi, Out of Reach; 3-4-8-1 = 16
2.) Giancarlo Capolino/Francesco Ivaldi, Legionario; 7-11-2-4 = 24
3.) Mirko de Falco/Gugleilmo Giordano, Pecceré; 5-3-11-5 = 24
4.) Achille Onorato/Lorenzo Bressani, Mascalzone Latino, Jr.; 4-14-4-3 = 25
5.) Claudio Dutto/Fabio Zeni, Asante Sana; 6-2-7-12 = 27
6.) Francesco Farneti/Alberto Bolzan, ITA-157; 2-1-5-DNF = 30
7.) Federico Albano/Guilio Desiderato, 3Menda; 1-9-6-14 = 30
8.) Marco Francini/Sandro Montefusco, Mezza Luna; 14-8-3-6 = 31
9.) Lauro Bonora/Carlo Fracassoli, Camay; 12-10-9-2 = 33
10.) Alessandro Rombelli/Paul Goodison, STIG; 11-5-10-10 = Audi Melges 20 Sailing Series