Järv (SWE 96) finishes in sixth at end of ACT 13

by Bert Willborg/Victory Challenge on 8 Apr 2007 Victory Challenge received top result at the end of the Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13, the final pre-regatta before the challenger series Louis Vuitton Cup.
In the sixth fleet race sailed today, Järv (SWE 96) crossed the finishing line in fourth place after Desafío Español, Alinghi and Emirates Team New Zealand, and came third amongst the challengers in the race.

'It was a nice feeling. The most important thing was that we could compare our new boat with the other teams. We know now that we have the boat speed required to perform well in the Louis Vuitton Cup,' Magnus Holmberg, skipper and helmsman, said.

It was a decisive strategy for Victory Challenge that the design team, under the supervision of Mani and German Frers, should have enough time to design a boat which could sail high and fast, be easy to manoeuvre and quick in accelerating. It was just as important to give the boat building team, under the supervision of Killan Bushe, time to build the boat, steadily and reliably.

'Without that, there is no chance in the Louis Vuitton Cup,' Magnus Holmberg says.

This has decreased the sailing team’s time with Järv (SWE 96), and Victory Challenge was the last of all the America’s Cup teams to launch its boat.

'We were late with our financing, and subsequently had to take calculated risks,' Magnus Holmberg says.

This was the reason that the team really wanted the two fleet races today, Easter Saturday, which was the scheduled reserve day. The weather forecasts were not at all promising, and the start of today’s first race was delayed by an hour and a quarter.

The competition management fitted in both races, thus making it possible to sail all seven races, despite cancelled races both last Tuesday and Thursday.

'This pre-regatta has helped us get into our competition routines, put pressure on our team, and get an important comparison with the other teams and boats. It has been extremely valuable for us,' Magnus Holmberg says.

'I still have great faith in the boat, and feel confident that we will be able to do well in the challenger series.'

It starts in nine days. While the last pre-regatta was determined through fleet racing, then the final competitions are about match racing, duels between two boats. Louis Vuitton Cup starts with two full round robins, where all eleven challengers meet each other twice. Subsequently, seven of the teams will be out. Victory Challenge does not intend to be one of the seven, but aims to be one of the teams continuing to the semi-finals.

'It will be tough. In the middle bracket Mascalzone Latino and Desafío Español as well as Team Shosholoza are good. But it will also be tough for the top teams (Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa Challenge and BMW Oracle Racing). I am sure that they will also be loosing matches,' Magnus Holmberg says.

In the Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13, which can now be summarised, Victory Challenge finished in eighth place, seventh amongst the challengers, after a fourth and seventh placing yesterday, and before that sixths, eleventh and twelfth. Alinghi won the act, Emirates Team New Zealand came second, and thereby best amongst the challengers. Mascalzone Latino came third, Luna Rossa Challenge fourth and BMW Oracle Racing surprisingly enough, only fifth. Desafío Español and Team Shosholoza were also ahead of Victory Challenge.

Magnus Holmberg:

'Fleet racing is not our discipline; we are match racing sailors. I am therefore not worried about our ranking. We have had problems in most of the fleet races in the pre-regattas during 2005 and 2006.'

Tomorrow, Easter Sunday, Victory Challenge’s sailing team has the day off, and Järv will be maintained. Training races against other teams are scheduled on Tuesday, and further races are on the wish list too. During the coming week, this should also be combined with two boat training with both Järv and Orm (SWE 73) in order to fine-tune the pre-starters and the manoeuvres. The team might get part of next Saturday off (there is a big opening ceremony with a boat parade in the evening where the team is involved) in order to finish with a shorter training pass on the Sunday.

On Monday 16th April starts what the teams have been preparing for during the past two years: The Louis Vuitton Cup and the final phase of the 32nd America’s Cup.

For that, Victory Challenge – just like before the Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13 – is ranked sixth. This means that the team, just like +39 Challenge (decided by the jury after a mast incident last Wednesday), Mascalzone Latino and Team Shosholoza bring with them two bonus points into the challenger series. The only change in ranking after Act 13 is Team Shosholoza, which has pushed down Areva Challenge. The French team, just like United Internet team and China Team take with them one bonus point into the Louis Vuitton Cup. The top ranked Emirates Team New Zealand starts the challenger series with four points, BMW Oracle Racing, Luna Rossa Challenge and Desafío Español start with three.

In each round robin match in the Louis Vuitton Cup, a win gives two points.

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