Mascalzone Latino Audi Team scores two important points against All4One

Mascalzone Latino Audi Team scores  two important points against All4One
Dubai, 19 11 2010

The sixth day of racing in Dubai finished on a truly positive note for Mascalzone Latino Audi Team. In the second flight of today’s schedule for Round Robin 2 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy, the Italian team took a well-deserved revenge against the French-German alliance of ALL4One, getting even with Jochen Schümann (GER) who, just three days ago, dealt Mascalzone Latino a blow with two consecutive wins. It is the first time in this Louis Vuitton Trophy that Mascalzone Latino Audi Team scores a victory against the powerful ALL4One.

It is an irony that, once again, the fate of the races against ALL4One is decided in the very first moments of the matches. Today it was the turn of Mascalzone’s opponents to commit the errors and barely avoid crossing the starting line early. In order to avoid being over early, the additional tack cost Schümann precious meters that resulted in a deficit that marked the rest of the race.

The first beat was an intense tacking duel with the two boats bow to bow but the “Latin Rascals” were able to defend the right and maintain a small but constant lead. Mascalzone’s skipper, Gavin Brady, not without sweating, rounded the first weather mark in the lead and held on to it during the ensuing spectacular battle in the first run. Despite the fierce attacks by the French-German boat, Mascalzone‘s bow was always ahead.

The fate of the race was sealed exactly half-way through: While approaching the leeward gate a series of sloppy maneuvers onboard the German-French yacht was the second fatal error of the day. Poor communication onboard ALL4One during the spinnaker drop resulted in the spinnaker pole going overboard, taking a swim on the Arabian waters with no possibility of recovery. This error cost Mascalzone Latino’s opponents another three boatlengths and from that point on the race was practically over.

Mascalzone Latino Audi Team crossed the finish line ahead of ALL4One, bagged two points, having now four points in the overall leaderboard. This excellent result opens up the regatta and leaves the Italians with serious chances to reach the finals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai.

Tomorrow, the “normal” schedule of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai will have a pause, the 6 AAC V5 yachts will rest, but the 6 crews will busy taking part in a Dhow regatta, the traditional 60-foot boats of the United Arab Emirates. It’s the very first time in the 200-year history of those yachts that their Arab owners will be the hosts to foreign sailors. Racing is scheduled to start at 2:30pm local time and will finish close to the famous Burj Al Arab, the impressive sail-shaped hotel that has become a landmark and symbol of Dubai.

Regular racing will resume on Sunday, November 21st, with the remaining matches of Round Robin 2 and Mascalzone Latino Audi Team is scheduled to race against Emirates Team New Zealand. 

Quotes of the day:

Morgan Larson (USA), tactician onboard Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, comments on the victory against the French-German team of ALL4One:

“Gavin Brady had a great start; we were just on time coming around the committee boat. ALL4One could have come OK out of the start but they turned up a hair early and had to do another bear away. That gave us the one and half boatlength lead we had off the line and in this race track it is very difficult to pass somebody if they hold on right. 

In the first beat they made some gains and closed in on us at the top mark. So, we decided to lock them in and play it safe. We could have taken some more risk in order to extend our lead but we just locked them in to beat them around the track.

Boat handling was excellent in the first run and the guys did some great gybes taking care of all the little things. So we extended the lead a little bit but we probably gave them a little bit too much room on the left, in the second beat, and when the wind went 10-15 degrees to the left they came back into the race. I think they had problems with their spinnaker at the leeward gate and maybe they broke it, so the last run they had problems sailing without a pole.”