Video Highlights: 52 SUPER SERIES, Scarlino Cup

Quantum Racing, the two times championship crew which missed out in 2015 on their third successive 52 SUPER SERIES title to Azzurra, made their best possible start to the new season when they won the Scarlino Cup held May 25-29 on Italy’s Tuscan coast.

Now five years old, the 52 SUPER SERIES raced on the Golfo di Follonica for the first time in its history. The new venue proved challenging offering many subtle changes on the water to challenge tacticians and strategists. Quantum Racing proved to be the most consistent across the eight-race regatta which included one 28-mile coastal race around the rocky islet of Sparviero by Punta Ala.

Quantum Racing won only one race pouncing on an opportunity in the closing stages of the first, light wind opener to the season. But after that they were never worse than fourth and clinched the Scarlino title with two solid second places on the last day, the best of the event with a brisk 15-17kts making for great sport.

The 11-boat fleet is racing at by far the highest and most evenly matched standard of recent years. One year ago in Valencia nine new boats raced for the first time. Now with a year of hard racing under their belts and pre-season tuning and testing starting in Europe back in March, any one of nine or ten boats could have won races.

Andy Soriano’s crew on Alegre made their debut in 2015 in Valencia with a dream second place. They repeated that feat – their best ever placings in the 52 SUPER SERIES – in Tuscany, an excellent result for young British tactician Nick Asher who only joined Alegre in the middle of last summer and is still a relative big boat rookie compared with some of the top tacticians studded through the fleet.

The 52 SUPER SERIES heads across the water to nearby Porto Cervo for the Audi Settimana delle Bocche, home to the 2015 champions Azzurra.

Final standing after 8 races:
1 Quantum Racing, USA (Doug DeVos USA) (1,3,4,3,4,4,2,2) 23 pts
2 Alegre, GBR (Andres Soriano USA) (2,5,8,5,2,3,1,3) 29 pts
3 Platoon, GER (Harm Müller-Spreer GER) (5,2,3,6,5,2,8,4) 35 pts
4 Sled, USA (Takashi Okura JPN) (6,1,9,8,8,1,6,1) 40 pts
5 Azzurra, ITA (Pablo/Alberto Roemmers ARG) (7,8,6,2,3,5,9,5) 45 pts
6 Bronenosec, RUS (Vladimir Liubomirov RUS) (9,6,2,7,1,9,4,8) 46 pts
8 Rán Racing, SWE (Niklas Zennström SWE) (3,4,7,4,10,8,3,7) 46 pts
4 Provezza, TUR (Ergin Imre TUR) (4,9,1,1,6,10,7,10) 48 pts
9 Xio/Hurakan, ITA (Guiseppe Parodi ITA) (8,7,5,9,7,7,11,9) 63 pts
11 Gladiator, GBR (Tony Langley GBR) (10,10,10,10,11,11,5,6) 73pts
10 Paprec FRA (Jean-Luc Petithuguenin FRA) (11,11,11,11,9,6,10,DNS/12) 81 pts

52 Super Series – Facebook

2016 52 SUPER SERIES Calendar
52 SUPER SERIES Scarlino Cup
Scarlino, YCS, May 25 – 29.

Settimana delle Bocche
Porto Cervo, YCCS, June 28 – July 2

52 SUPER SERIES Portals Sailing Week
Puerto Portals, CRPP, July 25 – 29

TP52 World Championship
Mahon, CMM, September 14 – 18

52 SUPER SERIES Cascais Cup
Cascais , CNC, October 11 – 15.

Source: 52 Super Series