Please select your home edition
Edition
MarkSetBot

Peter de Ridder wins Mallorca Breitling Trophy

by Media on 24 Jul 2006
Mean Machine-Mutua Madrilena - Winners Mallorca Breitling Medcup06 Breitling Med Cup TP52 - www.medcup.org">www.medcup.org www.medcup.org">www.medcup.org

Second place was more than enough to clinch the Breitling Trophy for a delighted Peter de Ridder and the crew of Mean Machine-Mutua Madrilena today in Puerto Portals Mallorca.

The Dutch skipper, resident in Monaco, and his mainly Emirates Team New Zealand crew not only won the top award for this demanding eight race regatta which has run at an almost unrelenting pace, but now also head the overall standings on the season long Breitling MedCup standings.

As top Corinthian helm for the third successive regatta, but this time de Ridder kept the top America’s Cup skippers and Olympic medal winning helms like Russell Coutts, Dean Barker and Ian Walker behind him.

And for the third Breitling MedCup regatta in a row, the final day was the trickiest. With a persistent easterly gradient breeze conflicting with the more southerly sea breeze, the net effect was unsettled, challenging wind which puffed up to 11 knots and fell as often to just 6 knots, changing direction by up to 30 degrees.

Three different boats have now won each different Breitling MedCup regatta.

Steve and Fred Howe’s Warpath, steered by Dean Barker, scored their a second back to back win since damage in race six forced their retirement. Even carrying the weighty ballast of a 22nd for their retirement, Warpath still finished second overall, while the Russell Coutts steered Lexus of Jaime Yllera and George Andreadis finished third, marking their first podium finish of the season so far.

'It is very nice to be the amateur driver winning here, up against the big guys. I think that is important for the other owner-drivers to see that if your boat is in order and you have good team around then, you as the driver, are just one of the fifteen guys and if you do your job normally you can hang in there and be competitive. For me it definitely helps doing a lot of Farr 40 sailing because that is a very competitive fleet doing many competitive mark roundings and mixed starts,' commented de Ridder.

With just a week of recuperation – or returning to the ‘day jobs’ in the case of the America’s Cup sailors who form the backbone of many crews – before the next event, Palma’s Copa del Rey regatta on the same waters, De Ridder comments:

'That will be another big challenge. And I am sure there will be another difficult day like today where the gradient breeze is fighting the sea breeze and there are a lot of holes in the wind but we will start that regatta fresh minded. But we are confident we have speed, our sail trimmers are good and work hard. I think our team is very good and is a good example of 1 plus 1 making much more than two.'

'We started well with two seconds and a first, but the team has sailed extremely well all week under a lot of pressure. We had a couple of good helmsmen right behind us in Dean Barker and Russell Coutts, so Peter sailed extremely well and the whole crew did. It was an extremely difficult day and it would have been to get stressed out, but we managed to keep calm through the whole race.' Explained Ray Davies, Mutua Madrilena’s tactician.

'The difference this time is that we have been more consistent. We always knew we had potential. We just tried to sail a little more conservatively this regatta.'

Pos Yate Patrón Armador 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Puntos
1 M.MADRILEÑA-MEAN MACHINE PETER DE RIDDER PETER DE RIDDER 2.00 2.00 1.00 3.00 13.00 1.00 3.00 2.00 27.00
2 WARPATH D.BARKER FRED & STEVE HOWE 9.00 1.00 5.00 4.00 3.00 22.00 1.00 1.00 46.00
3 LEXUS - ATALANTI RUSSELL COUTTS G.ANDREADIS - J.YLLERA 5.00 11.00 11.00 1.00 8.00 4.00 6.00 6.00 52.00
4 SIEMENS IAN WALKER E.CONNEELY 6.00 3.00 3.00 15.00 15.00 3.00 7.00 3.00 55.00
5 PINTA JOHN KOSTECKI MICHAEL ILLBRUCK 11.00 4.00 2.00 20.00 1.00 5.00 10.00 4.00 57.00
6 CAIXA GALICIA ROBERTO BERMUDEZ VICENTE TIRADO 17.00 5.00 4.00 2.00 6.00 10.00 9.00 5.00 58.00
7 SANTA ANA - STAY CALM S.ROBINSON S.ROBINSON - J.A.INIESTA 1.00 6.00 12.00 7.00 11.00 16.00 5.00 19.00 77.00
8 BAMBAKOU JOHN COUMANTAROS JOHN COUMANTAROS 7.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 2.00 17.00 4.00 20.00 80.00
9 BRIBON S.M.JUAN CARLOS DE BORBON JOSE CUSI 8.00 12.00 6.00 9.00 7.00 7.00 18.00 14.00 81.00
10 ONO IÑAQUI CASTAÑER ONO CABEL EUROPA-E.GALDON 15.00 22.00 7.00 5.00 10.00 6.00 12.00 10.00 87.00
11 PLATTON HARM MULLER SPREER HARM MULLER SPREER 3.00 22.00 9.00 6.00 14.00 11.00 17.00 7.00 89.00
12 ANONIMO RICARDO SIMONESCHI RICARDO SIMONESCHI 4.00 7.00 13.00 12.00 4.00 14.00 16.00 22.00 92.00
13 ORLANDA LORENZO BRESSANI ALESSANDRO PIRERA 16.00 13.00 22.00 11.00 9.00 2.00 14.00 8.00 95.00
14 BALEARIA GONZALO ARAUJO BALEARIA 14.00 9.00 14.00 21.00 12.00 8.00 8.00 11.00 97.00
15 FRAM XVI H.M.KING HARALD V H.M.KING HARALD V 12.00 19.00 18.00 14.00 20.00 9.00 2.00 12.00 106.00
16 CRISTABELLA JOHN COOK JOHN COOK 10.00 8.00 8.00 18.00 22.00 22.00 13.00 9.00 110.00
17 RUSH VALLE ROMANO THOMAS L.STARK THOMAS L.STARK 13.00 15.00 19.00 19.00 5.00 13.00 15.00 18.00 117.00
18 TAU CERAMICA ANDALUCIA MANUEL DORESTE JAVIER BANDERAS 18.00 16.00 16.00 8.00 18.00 12.00 22.00 16.00 126.00
19 BIGAMIST VI A.DOMINGOS P.MENDOCA 20.00 17.00 17.00 17.00 16.00 15.00 11.00 15.00 128.00
20 C-QUADRAT RAINER WILHEIM RAINER WILHEIM 21.00 14.00 22.00 13.00 19.00 18.00 19.00 13.00 139.00
21 AIFOS SAR DON FELIPE DE BORBON ARMADA ESPAÑOLA 19.00 18.00 15.00 16.00 17.00 19.00 20.00 17.00 141.00
MarkSetBotSelden CXrAllen Dynamic 40 Footer

Related Articles

Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship day 2
Three races in ideal conditions as Austrian duo strengthens grip on overall standings After the stormy and challenging opening race on Wednesday, the 2026 Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship enjoyed a spectacular second day on Lake Balaton, with sunshine, steady breeze and three races completed for the international fleet.
Posted on 4 Jun
Restock Alert: 2mm Neo Socks
Nothing ends a winter session quicker than numb, freezing feet Nothing ends a winter session quicker than numb, freezing feet. That's exactly why the VCOLD 2mm Neoprene Socks sold out so fast last time.
Posted on 4 Jun
Loro Piana Giraglia preview
73rd edition will feature four days of inshore racing in Saint-Tropez The Loro Piana Giraglia is organised by Yacht Club Italiano in collaboration with Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, under the guidance of the Federazione Italiana Vela and the Fédération Française de Voile.
Posted on 4 Jun
Range Rover Sardinia Cup offshore race
Committee's decision to postpone proved to be the right one The long-distance offshore race in the Range Rover Sardinia Cup concluded this morning as participants completed the course of approximately 130 miles.
Posted on 4 Jun
SSL Gold Cup Africa & Oceania Qualifier Overall
Saving the Best till Last on Golden Thursday The pressure on Lake Neuchâtel ramped up a notch on the final day with double points on offer. The racing was electric from the get go, with Tahiti Black Pearls going on the attack, pushing their main rivals Seychelles Vann Swet over the line early.
Posted on 4 Jun
America's Cup: Ainslie takes to fire escape
Brits Cup team split before the 2024 America's Cup in Barcelona, and ended in an acrimonious divorce The Defence by Athena Racing reveals how and when the relationship between the two parties began to break down, before the 2024 America's Cup in Barcelona, and ended in a very acrimonious divorce in January 2025.
Posted on 4 Jun
Cup Spy: Emirates Team NZ resume AC75 testing
America's Cup Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand resumed its AC75 test program in the Gulf. America's Cup Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, resumed its AC75 test program in the Hauraki Gulf today, June 4.
Posted on 4 Jun
Ericsson 4 (now L4) on the market
L4's record spans a Volvo Ocean Race win, several race wins and records. She could be yours. Ericsson 4 is widely regarded as one of the most successful and enduring Volvo Open 70 yachts. Her career spans a Volvo Ocean Race victory, several record-setting performances, and continued relevance in high-level offshore racing.
Posted on 4 Jun
Erica Lush Retires from La Solitaire du Figaro
Mainsail damaged while closing in on finish line American offshore sailor Erica Lush made the difficult decision to retire from the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec in the competition's third and final leg. Damage to the mainsail during a period of heavy wind could not be repaired on board.
Posted on 4 Jun
Trans-Tasman solo sailor recounts emergency
Graeme Francis found himself confronting the scenario every offshore sailor hopes never arrives. When water started pouring into his yacht in the raging Tasman Sea, Graeme Francis found himself confronting the scenario every offshore sailor hopes never arrives.
Posted on 4 Jun