May 30, 2008
by Mean Machine Sailing Team
30 May |
0 comments
Newsletter nº6
May 2008
Hola, bonjour and hello again everyone!
Yes, it’s already nearly June and the TP 52 Med season is already in full swing… with some thrilling results so far (if we do say so ourselves!). May has been a pretty high speed, ‘full throttle ahead’ kind of month for the Mean Machine team, with the long-awaited launch of number 22 in the family and then her début off Alicante shores. We’ve got lots to tell!
MEAN MACHINE VALENCIA LAUNCH
An intimate ceremony was held in the Spanish America’s Cup port of Valencia to welcome in the brand new member of the Mean Machine family at the start of the month.
The festivities and champagne baptism took place at the Emirates Team New Zealand base, where the boat had been undergoing some of the final touches to the construction process, overseen by the watchful eye of boat captain Chris Reid and TP52 tactician Ray Davies.
The ‘baptism’ honours were performed by Mean Machine founder and skipper Peter de Ridder, now the ‘father’ of another spectacular Mean Machine boat.
http://www.mean-machine.nl/news?id=7496
MEDCUP ALICANTE ACTION KICKS OFF
With the brand new Vrolijk design hitting the water, Mean Machine was tipped as one of the hot favourites for the Alicante Trophy, the first event in the 2008 AUDI MedCup Circuit.
The team has started this Circuit with one clear aim in sight: to win the Med’s most important regatta circuit for a second time: 60 races, among them windward-leeward and offshore races, with no discard this season… meaning consistency will be more important than ever in the hunt for success.
Mean Machine definitely has the team to bring the goods home with a highly experienced powerful crew. As an example of the sailing calibre onboard 50% of the crew is from the America’s Cup Team New Zealand. Owner and Skipper Peter de Ridder has America’s Cup veteran and winner and Volvo Ocean Race winner Ray Davies on board as well as Team New Zealand’s Tom Dodson and newcomer Navigator Kevin Hall.
De Ridder started the season feeling very positive about the new addition to the family: “This is a great boat to sail and it steers really well…This boat in particular is a nice Vrolijk boat again and we’re all very happy with it. The boys did a huge job; some great work and we’re ready to race.”
MEAN MACHINE WINS, WINS, WINS, WINS AND WINS AGAIN!
…5 IN A ROW!
On de Ridder’s birthday last year the team smashed the North Sea Race record for the Holland-UK leg and this year the Dutchman took home another much-valued gift… the City of Alicante Trophy and the lead in the 2008 AUDI MedCup Circuit.
Another achievement to top off a perfect finish to the Alicante Trophy was the small matter of 5 bullets… one after the other, which see Mean Machine setting a new MedCup record for this season’s Circuit that will be hard to beat.
The faces of Peter de Ridder and his team as they docked at the pontoon in Alicante said it all. After a heart-stopping final day of racing, with Bribon winning the last race, Peter de Ridder’s team wrote another page in Mean Machine history and in the history of the 2008 AUDI MedCup.
Peter de Ridder and the Mean Machine crew, well known for the pink flames flying from their spinnaker have been crowned winners of the Alicante Trophy, just one point ahead of second place Bribon and five away from Terry Hutchinson’s Quantum.
http://www.mean-machine.nl/news?id=7569
CITY OF ALICANTE TROPHY
Position, Name, Designer, Skipper, R1,R2,R3,…Total
1 Mean Machine, Judel/Vrolijk 2008 (Peter de Ridder) 7+16+5+1+1+1+1+1+8= 41
2 Bribon , Judel/Vrolijk 2007 (Jose Cusi/S.M D. Juan Carlos). 3+3+1+4+4+12+9+5+1 =42
3 Quantum Racing, Botin & Carkeek 2008, (Terry Hutchinson) 4+5+9+3+2+4+6+6+7=46
4 TAU cerámica, Judel/Vrolijk 2007, (Pichu Torcida) 1+1+6+9+9+3+5+9+12 =55
5 Platoon, Judel/Vrolijk 2008 (J. Schumman) 5+9+2+5+14+8+8+4+3=58
6 Artemis, Reichel/Pugh 2008 (Torbjorn Tornqvist) 12+11+4+10+7+2+2+2+10=60
AUDI MEDCUP CIRCUIT
Position, Name, Designer, Skipper, R1,R2,R3,…Total
1 Mean Machine, Judel/Vrolijk 2008 (Peter de Ridder) 7+16+5+1+1+1+1+1+8= 41
2 Bribon , Judel/Vrolijk 2007 (Jose Cusi/S.M D. Juan Carlos). 3+3+1+4+4+12+9+5+1 =42
3 Quantum Racing, Botin & Carkeek 2008, (Terry Hutchinson) 4+5+9+3+2+4+6+6+7=46
4 TAU cerámica, Judel/Vrolijk 2007, (Pichu Torcida) 1+1+6+9+9+3+5+9+12 =55
5 Platoon, Judel/Vrolijk 2008 (J. Schumman) 5+9+2+5+14+8+8+4+3=58
6 Artemis, Reichel/pugh 2008 (Torbjorn Tornqvist) 12+11+4+10+7+2+2+2+10=60
SPONSORS PLEASE!
You’d think that when you’ve got as many successes under your belt as Mean Machine that the sponsorships would come rolling in… but it’s not that simple!
In the highly competitive world of competition sailing sponsorship can be hard to come by, with so many classes and events it’s a tough fight for a share of the sponsorship cake.
The Mean Machine team has a history that spans back over 20 years, making it one of the oldest and most successful teams in the world of sailing. Despite winning the 2006 MedCup Circuit, stepping onto the third step of the podium at the 2007 TP52 World Championships, as well as at the 2008 Farr 40 World Championships, Mean Machine is still on the lookout for a sponsor… watch this space!
MARSEILLE SET TO BE STEAMING!
Grab your baguette and your bicycle and prepare for a potent Mistral ahead… the glamorous Côte d’Azure will play host to some truly spectacular racing from Monday 2nd June till Saturday 7th June, for the second MedCup date this season in Marseille.
The Machines are already well into their training programme for the Marseille Trophy, following some fine-tuning to the new boat in Valencia. Mean Machine took the challenge full-on in Alicante, with some great results, but Marseille is a different beast altogether, for a couple of reasons, at least. Firstly, the conditions: Marseille is well known for some tough breeze, in particular the famous Mistral in Spring, so unpredictability is set to play a key role in the event. Secondly, the fleet: There is a hotly anticipated addition to the mighty MedCup fleet in the shape of Russell Coutt’s and James Spithill’s “USA-17”. The TP52 making the delayed début is owned by the Challenger of the 33rd America’s Cup BMW Oracle Racing. The team is sure to shake up the competition in Marseille.
Racing for de Ridder’s crew in Marseille begins on Monday 2nd June with some practice races and VIP and media activities, whilst all the AUDI MedCup action kicks off on Tuesday with the start of the windward-leeward racing. Tactician Ray Davies, Skipper Peter de Ridder and Navigator Kevin Hall and crew will race up to three races each day, according to the schedule, with a double-point scoring coastal race set for Thursday. The fleet will have sailed up to ten races by the end of the week and their scores will be combined with the results for the previous AUDI MedCup leg in Alicante.
CREW LIST FOR MARSEILLE TROPHY
Peter de Ridder. Helm/skipper
Tom Dodson Stategist
Ray Davies Tactician
Kevin Hall Navigator
Tony Rae Mainsail Trimmer
James Dagg Timmer
Jon Gundersen Trimmer
Richard Meancham off-trimmer
Jeff Reynolds Pitman
Garry Bainbridge Grinder
Ed Van Lierde floater
JOE ALLEN floater
Simeon Tienpont Grinder
Stu Bettany Bowman
Chris Reido Mast
Mean Machine latest photos at:http://www.mean-machine.nl/gallery
MORE TP52 ACTION AHEAD! There’s still lots to come:
Mean Machine Calendar 2008
Audi MedCup: Alicante Trophy 12th –17th May
Audi MedCup: Marseille Trophy 2nd – 7th June
Audi MedCup: Cagliari Tropy 30th June – 5th July
Audi MedCup: Breitling Regatta 21st – 26th July
Audi MedCup: Cartagena Trophy 25th – 30th August
Audi MedCup: Portimao Trophy 15th – 20th September
TP52 World Championships – Puerto Calero 20th – 25th October
We’ll be back next month with lots of TP52 updates!
For all your Mean Machine news up to date go to: www.mean-machine.nl
