Please select your home edition
Edition

Going two-from-two Gladiator win Puerto Portals 52 Super Series Sailing Week

by 52 Super Series 1 Sep 2024 11:15 PDT 28 August - 1 September 2024
previous next

Tony Langley's British flagged Gladiator team made it two wins in a row today when they overturned a three points deficit over the one and only race sailed to add the Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week title to the Rolex TP52 World Championship which they secured in Newport RI USA some six weeks ago.

Buoyed by the confidence of their worlds success and armed with a quick, well optimised boat they were able to get the better of Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon Aviation crew who came off second best today - only losing on tie break to their British rivals - but most of all they will rue two penalties in consecutive races on Friday. These red flags accounted for 18 of the 24 point aggregate they landed on the penultimate day of racing on the Bay of Palma.

To their credit, once again at this fourth regatta of the five which comprise the 2024 52 SUPER SERIES season, Gladiator started best of the fleet with Guillermo Parada on the helm which more often than not allowed them to execute their game plan. That was the case today. After a delay waiting for a gentle 8-9kts SW'ly breeze to build Gladiator were able to start at the committee boat, right hand end of the line and break early to the right side of the upwind.

Although Eric de Turckheim's Teasing Machine led all the way around the course, with Gladiator second round the first windward mark and Platoon Aviation third, the title was still headed to Germany. But as they sensed the encroaching dirty air from the boats behind them Platoon gybyed away to the left of the downwind and ended up losing their title rivals.

Finishing fifth to Gladiator's second the two finished on equal points - 40 after 9 races - but that final second proved decisive in favour of the British crew which now leads the 2024 circuit standings by eight clear points ahead of Doug DeVos's Quantum Racing powered by American Magic.

The US team once more went into the final race of the final day with a fighting chance of their first regatta win together, also three points behind Platoon Aviation. But the German team bounced the Americans back to the left of them on the first beat and Quantum Racing powered by American Magic rounded the WW1 turn in 13th from 13th. They rallied to a seventh position to finish up third overall.

Guillermo Parada, Gladiator's helm smiled: "It's the first time it has come for me like this (winning two 52 SUPER SERIES regattas in a row) so it is a bit special, a new feeling. Obviously we are really pleased. It was a tough week. Palma has become a little bit trickier than I remember. We have known the island for many, many years and somehow it is changing over the last few years. It was a very demanding week and we kept our nerve. We had a good start and were able to manage the fleet and the geometry of the race course and read the conditions well and in the end we pulled it off and so we are very, very happy."

Of executing their game plan today he said, "We believed in the right side of the course before we left the dock today. So we knew that if it was to the right of 200 degrees we wanted to go right and so we practiced a couple of starts at the race committee and it was good enough to secure us a good place on the first beat."

"I think the boat is going well and we did good races when they really counted. Everybody had their up and downs but when it was key we did it and that made the difference in the end.

I am not thinking about Valencia and the last regatta of the season at all, now it is time to enjoy and relax a little."

Platoon Aviation's Mallorcan strategist Jordi Calafat grimaced, "Are we disappointed? Before we came here we would probably have signed for a second but going into today with a three points lead and only one race and rounding the top mark third behind Gladiator and then we lost our lane and got into traffic a bit of the downwind, a lot of boats gybing on top of us and Gladiator just being able to be in front of the pack, it proved a tough race. But in the end this is definitely a step in the right direction in terms of racing better and knowing the boat better. But it is still not enough and we still have some work to do."

And Victor Diaz de Leon, Quantum Racing powered by American Magic skipper-tactician concluded, "We were so hoping to get the win overall today but Gladiator and Platoon sailed really well. We had a little bit of a tough start in the middle of the line and Platoon did a good job of being patient to hurt us when n we wanted to go right on a right favoured track and it seemed everyone knew it. We actually rounded the top mark last after making some bad decisions on the first beat. But I am really happy with how the team rallied and I am really happy how we came back to seventh."

The final regatta starts in Valencia on Monday September 23rd.

Puerto Portals 52 Super Series Sailing Week Final Standings:

1. GLADIATOR (GBR), Tony Langley, 3+1+10+5+1+2+6+10+2 = 40pts
2. PLATOON AVIATION (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 1+2+4+1+3+9+9+6+5 = 40pts
3. QUANTUM RACING POWERED BY AMERICAN MAGIC (USA), Doug DeVos, 4+6+3+12+2+3+3+5+7 = 45pts
4. PHOENIX (RSA), Hasso & Tina Plattner, 11+7+1+6+9+6+5+7+6 = 58pts
5. PAPREC (FRA), Jean-Luc Pethuguenin, 6+8+2+4+8+1+12+11+11 = 63pts
6. INTERLODGE (USA), Austin & Gwen Fragomen, 8+3+9+3+4+7+11+13+4+3(PEN) = 65pts
7. ALEGRE (GBR), Andy Soriano, 10+10+5+8+12+4+7+2+8 = 66pts
8. SLED (USA), Takashi Okura, 5+9+8+11+10+10+1+4+9 = 67pts
9. ALPHA+ (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 12+4+7+13+7+5+8+1+12 = 69pts
10. CRIOULA (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 2+12+13+7+13+8+4+8+3 = 70pts
11. PROVEZZA (TUR), Ergin Imre, 7+13+12+2+6+13+2+3+13 = 71pts
12. VAYU (THA), Whitcraft Family, 9+5+11+9+5+12+10+9+10 = 80pts
13. TEASING MACHINE (FRA), Eric De Turckheim, 13+11+6+10+11+11+13+12+1+1(PEN) = 89pts

52 SUPER Series 2024 Standings:

1. GLADIATOR (GBR), Tony Langley, 37+35+40+40 = 152pts
2. QUANTUM RACING POWERED BY AMERICAN MAGIC (USA), Doug DeVos, 27+36+52+45 = 160pts
3. PLATOON AVIATION (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 45+47+48+40 = 180pts
4. SLED (USA), Takashi Okura, 33+42+46+67 = 188pts
5. ALEGRE (GBR), Andy Soriano, 37+44+51+66 = 198pts
6. INTERLODGE (USA), Austin & Gwen Fragomen, 32+49+73+65 = 219pts
7. PAPREC (FRA), Jean-Luc Pethuguenin, 49+51+62+63 = 225pts
8. ALPHA+ (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 51+58+50+69 = 228pts
9. VAYU (THA), Whitcraft Family, 51+33+65+80 = 229pts
10. PHOENIX (RSA), Hasso & Tina Plattner, 77+46+65+58 = 246pts
11. PROVEZZA (TUR), Ergin Imre, 25+88+110+71 = 294pts
12. CRIOULA (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 77+88+110+70 = 345pts
13. TEASING MACHINE (FRA), Eric De Turckheim, 77+88+110+89 = 364pts

Related Articles

Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais overall
American Magic Quantum Racing win Rolex TP52 Worlds after breezy week in Cascais. Doug DeVos' American Magic Quantum Racing crew were crowned 2025 Rolex TP52 World Champions today in Cascais, Portugal. Posted on 6 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais day 4
All on the line Sunday as American Magic Quantum Racing seek to close out eighth world title After three spectacular races today on Cascais, Portugal's showcase high winds arena, Doug DeVos' seven times world title winners American Magic Quantum Racing lead into the final day of the 2025 Rolex TP52 Worlds with a hard earned five points buffer. Posted on 5 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais day 3
French tour de force gives Paprec world championship lead As the Rolex TP52 World Championship passed its midway point today in Cascais, Portugal it is the French underdogs on Paprec, led by ocean racing legend Loïck Peyron, which has taken the overall lead. Posted on 4 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais Day 2
Consistent American Magic Quantum Racing move clear ahead American Magic Quantum Racing stepped three points clear at the top of the 2025 Rolex TP52 World Championship leaderboard today in Cascais, Portugal on the strength of a first and third from two breezy races. Posted on 3 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais Day 1
Sled sparkle in Cascais' Atlantic surf to lead After seemingly being starved of boisterous top end conditions for some years now Okura's Sled crew have been relishing a return to big breezes and big waves. Posted on 2 Jul
Admiral's Cup 2025 | Interview with the CYCA Team
A highly experienced team for the revived Admiral's Cup regatta from July 17 The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia is fielding a highly experienced team for the revived Admiral's Cup regatta that will be run from Cowes on the Isle of Wight in the UK, from 17th July 2025. Posted on 1 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais - Practice Day
Will Platoon Aviation's big breeze, big pressure experience prove key to their fourth world title? Of the three past and present world championship winning crews which completed their final practice today in typically muscular 25 knot breezes and big waves out of Cascais, Portugal it was Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon Aviation which showed best today. Posted on 1 Jul
Introduction to the Admiral's Cup/Fastnet 2025
After a 22 year abscence, the renowned Admiral's Cup is back. After a break of 22 years, the renowned Admiral's Cup is returning to the international yacht racing scene in July 2025. One short ocean race, three days of inshore racing, and then the fabled Fastnet to finish Posted on 29 Jun
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais preview
Eleven teams hoping the Portuguese venue lives up to its reputation Given that it is a long time since the 52 SUPER SERIES fleet raced in big winds and waves, a breezy final few training days before the start of next week's Rolex TP52 World Championship in Cascais would be universally welcomed by the 11 teams. Posted on 23 Jun
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez preview
Looking ahead to the 27th edition The elegance of the Classics, the power of the Moderns, the majesty of the Maxis. This dreamlike combination, a legacy of the Nioulargue, will once again come together in the stunning setting of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez from September 27 to October 5. Posted on 22 Jun