Slow start for Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team and Alinghi in 2012 Extreme Sailing Series Act 1
First act of 2012 Extreme Sailing Series has been a slow start for Roman Hagara’s Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team and Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi.
Both teams launched their beats into the Muscat waters with the hopes to go home with first podium places but the conditions were not according to what they expected. Out of six races on the first day, neither of them was able to hit a bullet and finished
on low scores which dragged them down. The first day was led by the French team Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and local heroes Oman Air.
The second day did not do any good either as both Hagara and Bertarelli failed to capitalise. Both the teams clinched one bullet each but still finished on lower positions in the rest of the races. At the end of Day 2 proceedings, Red Bull Extreme Sailing
Team is on fourth place with 65 points while Alinghi is trailing them on seventh spot with 150 points after 14 races.
However, skipper Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team, Hagara, leading the crew of Hans Peter Steinacher, Matthew Adams, Graeme Spence and Pierre Le Clainche, is satisfied with his team’s performance and is hoping for a better finish at the end of the regatta.
He spoke to the media after Day 2 proceedings, “For sure, we were trying hard today but we also had a last place which is not so good. In the end we were quite happy with the second place in the last race so overall a pretty good day. Sailing inside the
harbour is very tricky especially in the downwind starts and the next days will be the same.”
Bertarelli, on the other hand added, is also aiming for a better finish. He is happy for his team that they won the last race of Day 2.
However, he is not satisfied with their current position and believes they need more wins to make it to the top podiums.
He said, “I think everyone is going to win a race, I mean, the boats are fairly equal, everyone is quite good at what they do and the question is to be better than everyone else on average and we’re not quite there yet.”
France’s Group Edmond de Rothschild is currently leading the Extreme 40 fleet with 85 points while Oman Air team is on second position with 84 points at the conclusion of Day 2.
Tags: