TP52 World Championships in Valencia - Overall

Quantum Racing clinch second world title

Quantum Racing did what they had to do win their second TP52 World title in three years, containing the 2009 world champions - the spirited, never-say-die Matador crew - through today’s one showdown, final race of the TP52 World Championship off Valencia. The long delay, waiting for enough of a settled breeze to allow competition to take place, only one race was possible, starting at 1517hrs.

With a points cushion which meant that only one of these two could win the title, and Quantum Racing holding a three points cushion, the last race proved to be a tough head-to-head, match race as fully befits the America’s Cup waters.

While their title duel certainly warranted top billing, so too there were a set of supporting matches in the flukey 5-7 knots breeze - private battles and tussles to settle final results throughout the nine boat fleet.

The other key match was for third. Russia’s Synergy were seeking revenge over Artemis (SWE) with whom they tied for third on points in Palma last year. This time it was Synergy who prevailed, countback for third on the podium favouring their two race wins.

Matador were forced on to the back foot off the line when they jumped the gun, forced to re start. Though they did so swiftly and efficiently, Quantum Racing were immediately in a position to work them left, all the way the port tack lay line.

Whilst Bigamist (POR) went on to finish their season in style, winning the last TP52 race of the season, the title fighters rounded the first turn with Quantum Racing in eighth and Matador ninth.

Whilst Quantum Racing did good work herding Matador back into the darker depths of the fleet, the biggest threat arose when the duels ahead of them slowed, offering Matador half a chance of escaping back into the fleet.

But they crossed the finish with Alberto Roemmers’ team eighth and Doug DeVos’ Quantum Racing in ninth, enough to the give the title to the American flagged team by two points.

For Quantum Racing it completes an unmatched record of two world titles in three years, and a second, only losing out last year on countback to Matador, and adds the perfect final flourish in their final race with the Botin Carkeek designed boat in which they won the Audi MedCup title in 2008 and finished runners-up in 2009 and this season.

Finishing in fourth place, just ahead of their arch-rivals was enough for the Russian team to take third, but illustrating just how close it was also in the body of the fleet, only one point separated Synergy from sixth placed Cristabella, with Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis (SWE) fourth, and Audi A1 powered by All4ONE (FRA/GER) fifth.

Overall Results:

1. Quantum Racing (USA) - Terry Hutchinson (USA), 1+3+3+1+4+7,5+2+19= 31,5pts
2. Matador (ARG) - Alberto Roemmers (ARG), 4+2+5+3+5+1,5+3+2+8= 33,5
pts
3. Synergy (RUS) - Eugeni Neugodnikov (RUS), 5+1+1+2+7+6+10(DSQ)+4+5= 41pts
4. Artemis (SWE) - Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE), 3+5+2+4+1+9+7+6+4= 41pts
5. Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE (FRA/GER) - Jochen Schuemann (GER), 2+10(DSQ)+8+6+2+4,5+4+3+2= 41,5
pts
6. Cristabella (GBR) - John Cutler (NZL), 6+4+4+7+9+3+1+5+3= 42pts
7. Bigamist 7 (POR) - Afonso Domingos (POR), 7+6+6+5+3+10,5+5+8+1= 51,5pts
8. Pace (GBR) - Johnny Vincent (GBR), 9+8+7+10(DSQ)+6+12+6+7+7= 72pts
9. Weapon of Choice (GBR) - Tom Wilson (GBR), 8+7+9+8+8+13,5+8+9+6= 76,5pts

Quotes of the day:

Terry Hutchinson (USA), skipper-helm Quantum Racing (USA):
“It is an overwhelming sense of relief. We had a big task ahead of us today and this was one of those regattas which kept on going well and then we would retract a little bit, Matador had such a great coastal race, and that was always going to be a big race. And so we did really good work getting back to fifth in that race.”
“But today is tricky and dicey and that is a fast boat that we are racing against. Our boat is a fast boat but there are certain moments when they just go fast like. And so it was amazing how quickly they got back into it after their OCS.”
“What a great culmination to the end of the season. There is so much effort and work goes into these projects, and so to put a world championship under our belt is really, really special.”

On the start:
“There was a big gap which opened up with a right shear to leeward of where we were and we just quickly got the grip on them and tried to drive them back.”
“We both turned up towards the middle of the course and drove them into Audi A1 to leeward of us. Our call was is if we have to split sides then we want to keep the right, so they tacked at a good time, and so they tacked at a good time. We were racing to the committee boat and two boats were stalled and locked outside the committee boat and we slid through.”
“They were over (the start line) of their own volition. Our influence was us tacking to start with, but all along just wanted to keep the pressure on them and we just did that.”
“Through the rest of the race we kept on driving them back, but the problem became that we kept on gaining on the fleet. It was an anomaly. The worst case scenario was at the leeward gate, we did a couple of really nice down speed manoeuvres against them, and the strength of the Quantum boat against the Matador boat showed in the tacking duels, but when we got into open course, that is a nice, efficient orientated blade boat. It is awesome for us to have won two of the last three world championships and to have tied with Matador for the last one on countback.”

Adrian Stead (GBR) tactician Quantum Racing (USA):
“As the breeze was a bit fickle we were fairly confident we were only going to have one race, to be honest. Our goal was to contain Matador, keep them back as far as we could so that no boats could get in between her and us. It was going OK but there were a few other little private match races going on, and so that was not easy. It was hard work.

"For me, personally, I am really pleased. To have missed out on Marseille (where Quantum Racing won the Marseille Trophy regatta), I am pleased to feel like I have delivered. And to win the world championships and finish second on the Audi MedCup Circuit is just great.”

Guillermo Parada (ARG), skipper Matador (ARG):
“We won the position we wanted on Quantum in the last tack before the start gun, but we were over the line by three meters. These things happen.”
After that we were always pushing, pushing to the end, and by the finish we were able to pass them.”
“We are very proud because we wanted to get to the final day with a chance to win. This is our last race with this boat because in the final half of the season, since Copa del Rey we have won twice and had two second places, so we finish up with this boat with a good record.”

Eugeniy Neugodnikov (RUS), helmsman Synergy (RUS):
“It was really tough today. We did a really good job from start to finish. Of course we needed to be in front, but it was enough to take third place. On the finish line it was hard because if Artemis were one place higher they would have beaten us to the podium. So we are happy. This result is very good for Synergy, a boat which was often seems to be in fourth place, but never on the podium. And if you remember last year they finished fourth, right behind Artemis and on the same points so that's changed today.”

“We all hope to be here next year, this has been a great school for me, and I want to thank our sponsors, team and fans”.