Pallas Capital Gold Cup Resumes: Matador the Mark

The TP52 Australia fleet returns to racing this weekend, with the Super 40s sitting this one out. After a commanding run through the opening stages of the season, Matador TP52 has established itself as the benchmark. Consistent, composed and increasingly clinical in its return to the TP52 Australia circuit, David Doherty's champion team and platform have worn the target on their back with confidence.

Doherty's quiet, methodical approach has translated into results, race after race, with few mistakes and no easy openings for the chasing pack.

The red cape is out. Now the rest of the fleet must decide whether to charge.

Pallas Capital Gold Cup Act 1 - TP's attempting to squeeze in a final race - photo © Nic Douglass for @sailorgirlHQ

James Corrie, the mainsheet trimmer on Matador, said Act 1 was one of those events where the team was able to piece the shifts together and get a jump on the fleet.

"Sometimes you string those together and end up with a bigger gap than you expect."

That ability to convert opportunity into distance has been a defining feature of Matador's early dominance.

But the pressure is building.

"It's good to have Zen there pushing us," Corrie added. "They've got a strong team and we expect them to be right there for the rest of the series."

First Light leading the TP52s - photo © Nic Douglass for @sailorgirlHQ

Boats like Zen and First Light have shown flashes of real pace, but converting that into a full series performance and knocking Matador off the top step remains the challenge.

James Wilkie, tactician on First Light, believes the gap is there to be closed.

"Matador have set the benchmark for the past few years. They are fast and make very few mistakes," Wilkie said. "That said, in this fleet no one is untouchable. The margins are incredibly fine, and it only takes a couple of races where you execute slightly better or they have a small slip for things to swing.

"We saw that in the first race in Act 1, which was sadly abandoned, when we were leading the fleet and they were stuck in third.

"We feel like we're building well as a team and there's no reason we can't put them under pressure this weekend."

First Light thinks that consistency will bring the win - photo © Nic Douglass for @sailorgirlHQ

For Wilkie, the focus is not on dramatic change, but execution.

"My buzzword for this weekend is consistency. It's about being consistent in everything we do. It's not just the big moments like having a clean hoist, it's all the micro-processes that underpin every manoeuvre.

"If we can execute at a consistently high level across the races, we'll give ourselves every opportunity to be right there with them."

For Matador, it's about maintaining control.

For the rest, it's about landing a punch.

The question remains. Who will take Act 2 by the horns?

Racing gets under way from 1055 on 11 April with four races, followed by three on 12 April, as the TP52s return to Sydney Harbour out of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

Re-live the first Act of the Pallas Capital Gold Cup in the full "mini" episodes here:

Day 1:

Day 2:

For more information on the Pallas Capital Gold Cup head to www.GoldCupRegatta.com.

Thanks to title sponsor Pallas Capital, and also Zhik for their support of the class.