52 Super Series 2025 Porto Cervo by Range Rover - Day 4
by 52 Super Series 27 Sep 2025 04:23 AEST
21-27 September 2025
The penultimate day of racing at the 52 SUPER SERIES Porto Cervo Range Rover regatta proved to be a sharp contrast to the two previous days of strong Mistral winds presenting the 13 teams from ten different nations with a different challenge as the conclusion of the 2025 season approaches.
In shifty, light winds which started at around 10 knots and dropped, only one windward- leeward contest could be completed before the breeze became too unstable. The Whitcraft family's Thai flagged team on Vayu profited in these more gentle airs and scored their first race win of this season meaning that now 12 of the 13 crews have won at least one race.
Ergin Imre's Provezza may have pressed the reset button after a disappointing season to date, and are starting to look ahead more to 2026. After launching a new boat in August last year the Turkish flagged team had high hopes of at least an overall podium this time. But, lying ninth on the season leaderboard they have made changes to now bring Santi Lange on board as strategist working with Cole Parada as tactician. Looking sharp and slippery they led early in today's race but were passed by Vayu on the approach to the second windward turn.
Provezza have now posted two second places in a row to give themselves an outside chance of third step on the podium at this fifth and final regatta of the season. They have an aggregate of 40.5 pts after seven races, leaving them just 2.5pts behind Andy Soriano's Alegre who are third on 38 points.
Takashi Okura's regatta leaders Sled finished sixth today and so go into the last day of the season looking to convert a six points cushion to an event win. Tina and Hasso Plattner's Phoenix South African crew lie second overall.
The race organisers' objective is to try and deliver three races on Saturday if the conditions permit.
Nick Rogers, Vayu's double Olympic silver medallist winning tactician smiled, "It was good for us, important as a team to get a race win. The lighter conditions kind of favour our boat a bit and the team. It was a great race course, inside the straits, and we were able to win. The key seemed to be a bit more pressure on the left of the upwind and then on the second beat we swapped sides and got left of Provezza and got the lead. And so this proves the boat is good and it is a real boost for the team."
Provezza's Aregentinian tactician Cole Parada reported, "We did not have much time to train before here and so the Mistral days we have taken quite quietly and conservatively and start building the confidence and getting the communications flowing. Having Santi as strategist now is an immense privilege. I have sailed with him so many years that is makes things easy. We are a bit more relaxed here. We have not had the best of seasons, starting out with high expectations, so it was tough season and this is a bit a reset, taking an opportunity to jump ahead and see for next season."
After a tenth and ninth in Thursday's muscular breezes, Doug DeVos's American Magic Quantum Racing were very much in the mix in the leading group today, crossing the finish line in fourth. With Sled sixth today that leaves the US flagged crew, winners of three of the four regattas sailed so far this season, carrying a 21 points lead into the last races of the season, seemingly heading for what should be their seventh 52 SUPER SERIES title, adding to wins in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022 and 2024.
Jean Luc Petithuguenin's French team on Paprec hold third overall for the season going into the last day with a 7.5 points margin over their most consistent podium challengers, Andrea Lacorte's Italian Alkedo whilst Germany's 2023 circuit champions Platoon Aviation have got nine points to make up on the French if they are to succeed in their last minute claim to third. If Platoon Aviation could achieve this it would keep intact owner-driver Harm Müller-Spreer's record of finishing in the top three every year since the 2020 season when only one regatta was sailed.
The day concluded with an emotional, well attended presentation of the Challenge Trophy, created by the YCCS in memory of Matteo "Mate" Auguadro, bowman on Alegre, who lost his life in a skiing accident last January. Voted for by all 13 bowmen in the fleet, Greg Gendell, bowman on American Magic, received the trophy from Rachele Vitello, Matteo Auguadro's wife.
52 Super Series - Porto Cervo - Range Rover Leaderboard after Day 4: (seven races)
1. Sled, USA, Takashi Okura, 4+2+1+11+2+1+6 = 27pts
2. Phoenix, RSA, Tina & Hasso Plattner, 3+4+8+5+1+4+8 = 33pts
3. Alegre, GBR, Andy Soriano, 6+3+3+6+3+7+10 = 38pts
4. Paprec, FRA, Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 2+9+4+1+9+5+9 = 39pts
5. Provezza, TUR, Ergin Imre, 11+5+6+7+6+2+2 = 39pts
6. Platoon Aviation, GER, Harm Müller-Spreer, 1+6,5(RDG)+11+8+8+3+3 = 40,5pts
7. American Magic Quantum Racing, USA, Doug DeVos, 10+8+2+4+10+9+4 = 47pts
8. Alkedo Vitamina, ITA, Andrea Lacorte, 9+7+7+2+5+12+7 = 49pts
9. Vayu, THA, Whitcraft Family, 8+10+10+9+7+10+1 = 55pts
10. Alpha+, HKG, Shawn & Tina Kang, 13+1+9+12+11+8+5 = 59pts
11. Crioula, BRA, Eduardo & Renato Plass, 5+11+13+3+4+13+11 = 60pts
12. Gladiator, GBR, Tony Langley, 7+6(+3)+5+10+13+6+13 = 63pts
13. Teasing Machine, FRA, Eric de Turckheim, 12+12+12+13+12+11+12 = 84pts
52 Super Series 2025 Leaderboard after seven races in Porto Cervo
1. American Magic Quantum Racing, USA, Doug DeVos, 18+33+42+38+47 = 178pts
2. Sled, USA, Takashi Okura, 13+58+51+50+27 = 199pts
3. Paprec, FRA, Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 23,5+ 63+43+70+39 = 238,5pts
4. Alkedo Vitamina, ITA, Andrea Lacorte, 28+49+61+59+49 = 246pts
5. Platoon Aviation, GER, Harm Müller-Spreer, 36+44+63+64+40,5 = 247,5pts
6. Alegre, GBR, Andy Soriano, 30+71+62+66+38 = 267pts
7. Alpha+, HKG, Shawn & Tina Kang, 21,5+68+71+54+59 = 273,5pts
8. Vayu, THA, Whitcraft Family, 27+68+65+61+55 = 276pts
9. Provezza, TUR, Ergin Imre, 30+64+81+70+39 = 284pts
10. Gladiator, GBR, Tony Langley, 12+120+63+79+63 = 337pts
11. Phoenix, RSA, Tina & Hasso Plattner, 48+69+60+130+33 = 340pts
12. Crioula, BRA, Eduardo & Renato Plass, 28+120+120+71+60 = 399pts
13. Teasing Machine, FRA, Eric de Turckheim, 48+73+120+104+84 = 429pts