Melges 32 Audi-Tron Sailing Series at Porto Ercole - Overall
by International Melges 32 Class Association 13 Jul 2015 08:35 BST
10-12 July 2015
Rombelli rallies to win
Sunday marked the end to a very dramatic stage in the 2015 Melges 32 Audi-Tron Sailing Series in Porto Ercole, where the race course became the ultimate showdown arena. Two more races were completed with Alessandro Rombelli on STIG and tactician Francesco Bruni with crew members Giorgio Tortarolo, Pierluigi De Felice, Michele Giovaninnini, Daniele Fiaschi, Luca Faravelli and Filippo La Mantia, stealing the show to win the event by one point. This is the second victory this year for Rombelli in the highly competitive Melges 32 Class.
With the points race relatively tight, Race Six was primarily about Porto Ercole second-runner up Jason Carroll and his Argo team keeping a close eye on, and attempting to control third-place finisher Roberto Tomasini Grinover on Robertissima. On the other flank, Edoardo Lupi and Massimo Pessina's Torpyone got out front to lead the pack around the top mark followed by Valentin Zavadnikov's Synergy GT, and then Rombelli. Downwind Rombelli made his move, trailed by Giangiacomo Serena Di Lapigio's G-SPOT with Lupi/Pessina still out front. The Lupi/Pessina team remained strong to get the win. Rombelli's second place finish leapfrogged him into second overall, placing him within striking distance of winning the event.
It was down to the wire in the final race of the Series. Carroll's poor start resulted in Rombelli getting out front and fast. Rombelli was first to the weathermark, just ahead of Richard Goransson's Inga From Sweden 3 and Andrea LaCorte's Vitamina. Rombelli proved to be too strong and much too fast to catch, as Goransson and LaCorte focused on battling for second and third positions. They swopped positions throughout the race with Goransson eventually getting the upper hand to finish second and LaCorte in third. Rombelli's impressive bullet gave him the overall event win by a single digit.
The 2015 Audi-Tron Sailing Series in Porto Ercole is organized by B.Plan Sport & Events (BPSE) in cooperation with Melges Europe.
The next destination for the Melges 32 Class is Trapani for the World Championship. On August 24-30, teams will go head-to-head in this beautiful part of Italy for the crowning of its seventh World Champion.
Overall Results: (top ten, 7 races, 1 discard)
1.) Alessandro Rombelli/Francesco Bruni, STIG; [13]-1-9-7-1-2-1 = 21pts
2.) Jason Carroll/Cameron Appleton, Argo; 1-5-1-1-6-[9]-8 = 22pts
3.) Roberto Tomasini Grinover/Vasco Vascotto, Robertissima; 3-4-2-3-9-[12]-5 = 26pts
4.) Andrea LaCorte/Jesper Radich, Celadrin/Vitamina; 6-[16]-10-2-11-10-3 = 42pts
5.) Edoardo Lupi-Massimo Pessina/Manuel Weiller, Torpyone; 10-7-[17]-4-10-1-9 = 44pts
6.) Richard Goransson/Michael Buckley, Inga From Sweden 3; 4-[15]-3-15-13-5-2 = 45pts
7.) Mauro Mocchegiani/Tommaso Chieffi, Audi-E-Tron; 11-12-[14]-9-4-6-4 = 46pts
8.) Giangiacomo Serena di Lapagio/Pietro Sibello, G-SPOT; 9-3-13-8-[16]-3-11 = 47pts
9.) Valentin Zavadnikov/Nick Rogers, Synergy GT; 12-2-12-[16]-5-14-6 = 51pts
10.) Keisuke Suzuki/Nicolai Sehested, Swing; 2-8-4-13-[17]-16-10 = 53pts
2015/16 Melges 32 Blue Water Series - Save the dates
The 2015/16 Blue Water Series cranks up the Fall/Winter racing circuit in Ft. Lauderdale, FL! Consisting of three events, the first is the U.S. National Championship on December 4-6, 2015. Event No. Two is the class' prestigious Gold Cup on February 12-14, 2016. The last event, also the newest addition to this collection is the Lauderdale Cup on April 1-3, 2016. SAVE THE DATES - MARK YOUR CALENDARS and plan to attend these three amazing events that will satisfy your winter racing desires, all in one location - hosted by the Lauderdale Yacht Club in Ft. Lauderdale, FL USA. Stay close to http://melges32.com for full announcements and information regarding the 2015/16 Blue Water Series. For immediate inquiries please contact North American Class Manager, Sam Rogers.