Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre - IRC fleet preview

by Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre on 2 Aug 2010

Fleet - Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre 2009 Nico Martinez http://www.nicomartinez.com

In this 29th Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre IRC will undoubtedly be the most disputed class.

After the registration period has been closed, the IRC will be subdivided into Mini Maxis and IRC. The former will not have right to claim the Copa del Rey winner trophy, as they have not reached the minimum 15 boat registration requirement.

There will be no lack of exitement for the racing however as there are nine Mini Maxis with some of the best in the world participating. The absence of Alfa Romeo turns Hap Fauth's Bella and Udo Schutz's Container into the favorites.

69 footer 'Bellamente', designed by Reichel & Pugh, is a New York Yacht Club flagged stunning sloop, which put on a great performance on the final stretch of last year's Copa del Rey, with five wins in the last six races. Another sloop, 65 footer 'Container', owned by Udo Schutz and based in Palma, yearns for the trophy after her third place in the Hublot PalmaVela. Second classified in the latter was 'Alegre' of Andrés Soriano, from the Monaco Yacht Club, which also aspires to win this year's Copa del Rey.

Italian Mini Maxi 'Stig', owned by Alessandro Rombelli, and also the Italian, 'Maya' ownbed by Lucio Crispus, along with Gerard Logel's French '@robas', must also be taken into account.

TP52, a top level fleet

The Transpac 52, comprised in the IRC class, is one of the undeniable attractions of this year's Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre. Argentinian 'Matador' of Alberto Roemmers, with Guillermo Parada at the helm, looks to repeat last year's victory, but will have to beat modified TP52 CAM with Olympic champions Kiko Sánchez and Fernando León on board in order to do so. CAM is a brand new TP52 with different keel and rudder, a longer mast -60 cm more-, and a bigger pole than the Argentinian unit. Jose Cusí's 'Bribón' has a new skipper, the round the world sailor Gonzalo Araújo, with an impressive track record but still no victories in Palma.

Also modified 'Aifos' of the Spanish army, clear cut winner in 2008, with her usual skipper Jaime Rodríguez Toubes at the helm, will join the start line together with John Cook's 'Cristabella', who will have two times Copa del Rey champion Roberto Bermúdez de Castro at the helm. Tony Langley's 'Weapon of Choice', member of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, will attend the regatta once more, whereas New Yorker 'Lucky', owned by Bryon Ehrhartm, will make its debut in Palma. Harald V King of Norway 's TP52 'FRAM' completes the class's entries.

Among the rest of the participants in IRC, we find the spectacular Niklas Zennstrom's 'RAN', a 72 footer by Judel & Vrolijk, which promises to raise the level of the competition, as will Swan 42 'Cuordileone', 'Long Echo' and 'Natalia'.