Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship - Day Two

THREE STARS CRASH TO EARTH

Three leading contenders in the small-boat division of the Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship 2001 have seriously damaged their chances of victory in Valencia after disqualifications for being over the line on the first day of racing.

Double Olympic Champion Luis Doreste thought he had completed an excellent day's racing with a 2,1 scoreline. When the helmsman of Telepizza-Pepsi discovered that he had been disqualified and his race win annulled, he was not pleased. "We do not believe we were over the line," he said, but whether he gets the chance to put his case to the race jury is another matter.

Two leading IMX-40s also fell victim to the wrath of the starting committee. The Italian boat Ads Glen and the Spanish Movistar Activa each scored a first and a DSQ from the day's racing, leaving them languishing mid-table along with Telepizza's 2,DSQ score.

Now these three leading contenders must hope they get a full series of seven races in the Championship this week, as this will allow them to discard their worst result. Meanwhile, Giacomelli Sport leads a group of four IMX-40s who top the Class B rankings after two races. The Italian boat, which notched up a 6,2 score, has a former America's Cup helmsman Mauro Pelaschier at the helm.

There was some crashing and bashing amongst the highly competitive 50-footers in the Class A racing on Tuesday. Bribon, the Farr 50 raced by King Juan Carlos of Spain, was involved in a collision with another Spanish boat Castellon Costa Azahar at the windward mark.

The pre-regatta favourite Cam kept her nose clean with two victories, but was lying only 10th amongst the 50-footers at the first turning mark in the 110-mile offshore race today.

Brava Q8 had a good day in the inshore racing with a second and third place, and with one of the world's most accomplished navigators, Andrew Cape, planning their offshore strategy, it would be a surprise to see them underperform in the long race. "Navigation in a race like this is about doing a lot of homework on what you think the wind is going to do," he commented. "It's not just about looking at a weather sheet, but about using your own skill and instincts to interpret that information."

Spanish America's Cup helmsman Pedro Campos has taken a big gamble this week by opting to compete on the smallest boat in the big boat division. While 15 IMX-40s are battling it out in Class B, Campos is fighting for clear air behind the 50-footers. So far his strategy seems to be paying off, with his IMX-40 Telefonica Movistar lying in equal second alongside Brava Q8 with a 3,2 score.

As for his chances in the offshore race, he admitted that being so much smaller than the bulk of the fleet was a gamble. "Probably either the biggest boat, Alexia, or the smallest boat, ourselves, will win the race depending on what the wind does." he said.

Argentinian Alberto Roemmers' Maxi yacht Alexia is expected to complete the offshore race in the early hours of Thursday morning, with the rest of the 73-boat fleet set to trickle into Valencia a few hours later.

The Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship 2001 ends on Sunday 8th July.

Overall Results after two races:

More Information:

• YachtsandYachting.com IMS Page