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PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR NEXT YEAR - MARCH 4 - 7, 2010 For Immediate Release – March 8, 2009 Resounding Triumphs at 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix --- Four Days, Ten Races, Countless Smiling Faces
By Bill Wagner In a real rarity and a true testament to outstanding sailing, winners of all four classes at the Acura Miami Grand Prix went wire-to-wire. Ran (IRC 1), Soozal (IRC 2), Nerone (Farr 40) and Bliksem (Melges 32) all led from start to finish, a remarkable feat, but they hadn’t clinched going into the final day and all sailed every race. Competition was tight in all four classes of this powerhouse fleet of 42 boats from seven countries, but the Farr 40 was deemed to be the most competitive and that earned Nerone the Acura Boat of the Week honor. The Italian entry won six of 10 races, an almost unheard of achievement in the professional-laden Farr 40 class. Skipper Massimo Mezzaroma and crew finished the series in style, getting the gun in both races today to extend its lead on runner-up Goombay Smash (Doug Douglass, Newport, RI). “To win such a great regatta and get Boat of the Week as well, I don’t know how we can beat this result,” Mezzaroma said. “We had great karma on the boat and the whole crew was on its game.” America’s Cup veteran Vasco Vascotto called tactics on Nerone, which also won this regatta in 2000 and 2003. “We love Miami. For some reason, our boat and team performs very well here. We have never had this many firsts in one event… it really is unbelievable. We were very, very fast downwind and I think that was a big key.” Pieter Taselaar and his crew aboard Bliksem drew serious consideration for Boat of the Week after putting forth an impressive performance in the very tough Melges 32 class. Taselaar opened the regatta with three straight bullets and never looked back despite being pushed the whole way by Samba Pa Ti (John Kilroy, San Francisco, CA) and Red (Joe Woods, Great Britain). “Once you get the lead there is a lot of pressure to stay ahead. We just had to stay calm and sail our own race,” Taselaar said. “We had good teamwork, good boat-handling and good tactics. Jeremy Wilmot, a member of the intercollegiate dinghy team at powerhouse St. Mary’s College of Maryland, called tactics on Bliksem. The Australian native was skipper of the Morning Light program and served notice he will make a fine professional one day. “Jeremy was just awesome this week. He is a young guy, but a real natural talent. He sees shifts about a minute before the competition, which was a huge advantage for us.” It marked the first Melges 32 class victory in seven attempts for Taselaar, a Netherlands native who now lives St. Inigoes, MD. Nathan Wilmot, who captured an Olympic gold medal as skipper for the Australian 470 team in Qingdao, China, lent his expertise to the team as trimmer. “We are extremely excited. We really focused on this regatta and put in a lot of effort. It is very rewarding to see all that preparation pay off,” Taselaar said. Owner Dan Woolery and close friend Scott Easom spent a year gearing up to sail Soozal in the two winter regattas organized by Premiere Racing. The King 40, designed by Mark Mills and built by Summit Yachts, has proven a real rocket ship by capturing IRC 2 class at both Acura Key West 2009 and the Acura Miami Grand Prix. “This has been a year-long project to get this boat the way we wanted, and it was all about doing well on this Florida circuit. We feel wonderful right now because we have met all our goals,” Woolery said. “It’s just a great design by Mark Mills. We had one heck of a boat and terrific crew work, which is a nice combination.” Veteran professional Robbie Haines called tactics on Soozal and drew high praise from Woolery. “Robbie was excellent as usual. He is just a wizard at calling the shifts and deserves a lot of credit for our success. It doesn’t do any good to go fast if you’re on the wrong side of the course,” he said. Ran, owned by Niklas Zennstrom of Great Britain, won seven races and finished second or third in the others en route to victory in IRC 1. America’s Cup veteran and match racing standout Thierry Peponnet called tactics on Ran, which edged fellow TP52 Rio by five points. “We had really fantastic conditions here in Miami this week. It was sunny and windy every day, which made for fun and exciting racing,” Peponnet said. “We are very happy with the performance of our team. Everyone did their job well and we made very few mistakes.” Ran was a double winner yesterday as it also captured the Acura Grand Prix Championship Trophy, awarded to the boat with the best combined performance in Key West and Miami. Zennstrom’s team won six of 10 races in taking IRC 1 class at Acura Key West 2009 as well. “We had very good competition with Rio here and in Key West. It was like match racing. They have a good team and really pushed us hard,” Peponnet said. Joe Fly, an Italian boat owned by Giovanni Maspero, earned the Acura Grand Prix Championship in the Farr 40 class after placing second in Key West and third in Miami. New Wave, co-owned by Michael Carroll and Marty Kullman of Clearwater, Fla., took the honors in Melges 32 class thanks to a fourth in Key West and a fifth in Miami. “It is quite an honor to win the Acura Grand Prix Championship as it speaks to consistency at three great events. The competition in Melges 32 class in Key West and Miami was the best we have ever seen so naturally we are ecstatic,” Carroll said. Temperatures in the 80s, sunny skies and winds that never dipped below double digits made the 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix one of the best in recent memory. “I don’t know if I have ever seen so many happy faces leaving a regatta,” event director Peter Craig said. “The weather was phenomenal, the race committee work was outstanding and the competition in all four classes was very, very good. All the owners I spoke with are looking forward to coming back.” Acura Miami Grand Prix Results - FINAL after 10 races Farr 40 (12 entries) 1, Nerone, Massimo Mezzaroma, Punta Ala, Italy, 1-1-2-7-1-7-1-4-1-1=26 2, Goombay Smash, Doug Douglas, Newport, R.I., 5-2-7-3-6-3-3-1-7-2=39 3, Joe Fly, Giovanni Maspero, Como, Italy, 2-5-4-4-4-4-2-2-9-8=44
Melges 32 (19 entries) - with discard 1, Bliksem, Pieter Taselaar, St Inigoes, M.D., 1-1-1-2-7-5-1-3-(-8)-3=24 2, Samba Pa Ti, John Kilroy, San Francisco, C.A., 2-6-3-4-3-2-9-1-(-13)-2=32 3, Red, Joe Woods, Torbay, UK, 7-8-2-3-2-9-4-6-(-11)-7=48
IRC 1 (4 entries) 1, RAN, Niklas Zennstrom, Hamble, GBR, 1-1-1-2-3-1-1-1-1-2=14 2, Rio, Charles Dunstone, Cowes, GBR, 2-2-3-1-1-2-2-3-2-1=19 3, Synergy, Sergey Pichugin, Moscow, RUS, 3-3-2-3-2-4-3-2-4-3=29
IRC 2 (7 entries) 1, Soozal, King 40, Daniel Woolery, Pt Richmond, C.A., 2-1-4-1-1-1-1-1-1-1=14 2, Ciao, AC 40, Philippe Paturel, Halifax, CAN, 1-3-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-3=22 3, Gold Digger, J/44, James Bishop, Jamestown, R.I., 3-2-1-3-3-2-3-5-3-2=27
Acura Grand Prix Championship - FINAL after 10 races Farr 40 1. Joe Fly, Giovanni Maspero, Como, ITA, 79 pts 2. Mascalzone Latino, Vincenzo Onorato, Napoli,ITA, 85 pts 3. Barking Mad, James Richardson, Newport, RI, 86 pts
Melges 32 1. New Wave, M Carroll/M Kullman, Clearwater, FL, 131 pts 2. Red, Joe Woods, Torbay, GBR, 148 pts 3. Calvi Network, Carlo Alberini, Persaro, ITA, 189
IRC Combined 1. Ran (TP52), Niklas Zennstrom, Hamble, GBR 32 pts. 2. Soozal (King 40), Daniel Woolery, Pt. Richmond, CA, 33 pts. 3. Rio (TP52),Charles Dunstone, Cowes, GBR, 47 pts.
The 2009 Acura Grand Prix Championship scoring for the Farr 40 and Combined IRC class is based on the lowest cumulative points scored for both Acura Key West 2009 and the 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix combined. For the Melges 32 class it is based on the lowest cumulative points scored for the 2008 Melges 32 Gold Cup, Acura Key West 2009 and the 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix combined. Acura has been the proud title sponsor and Official Vehicle of SORC and the Miami Grand Prix for the previous 9 years. They are joined by supporting sponsors Mount Gay Rum (Official Rum) and SLAM (Official Technical Gear and Retailer) The Miami Beach Marina is the Official Site for this 2009 grand prix event. The Avalon and South Seas Hotels are the Official Host Hotels. Shake-A-Leg Miami is the official charity of both the Acura Miami Grand Prix and Acura Key West. For information about them please visit: www.ShakeALegMiami.org
Thirty-six Industry Partners bring their support through a program that is now in its 8th year. Learn more about the Industry Partners and the Program on the event web site.
Acura Key West 2009 and the 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix are US Sailing sanctioned events.
About Acura Acura offers a full line of technologically advanced luxury performance vehicles through a nationwide network of more than 260 dealers throughout the United States. The 2009 Acura lineup features five distinctive models, the RL luxury performance sedan, the TL premium performance sedan, the TSX premium sport sedan, the turbo-charged RDX premium sport CUV and the award-winning MDX premium performance CUV. For more information about Acura vehicles, please visit Acura.com. For media inquiries, please go to Acuranews.com.
For more information on Premiere Racing, Acura Key West 2009, presented by Nautica or The 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix and all and Sponsors and Partners: Premiere Racing, Inc.
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For Immediate Release – March 7, 2009 It’s Far From Over at the Acura Miami Grand Prix --- All Champions Won’t Be Crowned Until the Final Gun
By Bill Wagner Strong performances on Saturday by top contenders has put pressure on the leaders of the two largest classes going into the final day of racing at the Acura Miami Grand Prix. Skipper John Kilroy and his crew aboard Samba Pa Ti put up a first and a second on Saturday and have pulled within striking distance of series-long leader Bliksem in Melges 32 class. Nerone, the Italian entry skippered by Massimo Mezzaroma, has led the Farr 40 class after each day of action, but has been unable to shake Joe Fly and Goombay Smash. Meanwhile, Dan Woolery and the Soozal team increased their lead in IRC 2 class while Niklas Zennstrom and the Ran crew strengthened their hold on IRC 1 during another picture-perfect day off South Beach. Steady 15-knot easterly winds enabled organizers to get off three starts, which means Premiere Racing will almost certainly meet its goal of conducting a 10-race series. “We had three really excellent races today. We had a bright sunshiny day and gin clear water,” principal race office Dave Brennan said. “It was really close competition in all the classes, especially coming downwind at the finishes.” Pietar Taselaar has steered Bliksem to first place finishes in four of seven races that count and has led the 19-boat Melges 32 class since the outset. However, Kilroy notched a first and a second on Saturday and sits just seven points behind the pacesetter. “We have managed to get ourselves into contention. I feel good about where we stand going into the last day,” Kilroy said. “The Bliksem guys are sailing very, very well and will be hard to beat, but we have at least given ourselves a chance.” Kilroy, who competed at Acura Miami Grand Prix aboard a TP52 last year, is a newcomer to the Melges 32 class with this being just his third regatta. A successful skipper in a variety of big-boat designs, the San Francisco resident seems to have climbed the learning curve quite quickly. “I have always loved one-design sailing and this is some of the best I’ve ever done,” Kilroy said. “This boat is very exciting in terms of performance and requires a lot of energy. It’s a building class that has attracted a lot of great sailors.” Samba Pa Ti led at the first weather mark in three of the initial five races without winning so yesterday’s bullet was a monkey off the team’s back. “John does a really solid, consistent job of driving and we’ve had outstanding upwind speed the whole regatta,” tactician Morgan Reeser said. “It should be interesting tomorrow between us and Bliksem. Both boats have stumbled in a race so it could come down to one bad start, one big mistake.” Nerone continued its stellar series with a first and a fourth on Saturday, but a seventh in Race 6 helped the competition in the 12-boat Farr 40 class, which does not allow a throw out. Giovanni Maspero and the Italian team on Joe Fly posted a superb line of 4-2-2 yesterday while Doug Douglass and the boys aboard Goombay Smash equaled that score total with results of 3-3-1. That leaves Nerone clinging to a three-point lead over Joe Fly and a six-point advantage on Goombay Smash. Tactician Vasco Vascotto is concerned even though Nerone has won four of eight races so far. “It is normal in the Farr 40 class to go into the last day with the regatta still up for grabs. We just have to keep fighting,” Vascotto said. “We have been very fortunate so far in overcoming some bad starts. Hopefully, we can get off the line better in the two races tomorrow.” Nerone rallied from a significant deficit to win Race 7 today, passing Joe Fly in the last 10 meters. “It was one of the most exciting races I’ve ever experienced. To come from behind and win at the very end like that was very uplifting for our team.” The Acura Boat of the Week, awarded to the class with the closest most competitive overall racing, will not be decided until the final gun and it appears the honor will come down to the winner of either the Melges 32 or Farr 40 class. Ran captured IRC 1 class at Acura Key West 2009 in impressive fashion and has picked up right where she left off at the Acura Miami Grand Prix. Helmsman Tim Powell and tactician Thierry Peponnet have clearly developed a nice chemistry as the British TP52 has won six of eight races. Soozal, a newly-launched King 40 designed by Mark Mills of Ireland, is also seeking to pull off a sweep of the two winter regattas organized by Premiere Racing. Woolery steered his rocket ship to five straight first place finishes in an extremely competitive seven-boat fleet. “Our keel is spot-on and that has proven to be a real weapon. We have a few degrees worth of pointing on the rest of the fleet, if we want to go higher we can,” Woolery said. Ran and Soozal are neck-and-neck in the battle for the Acura Grand Prix Championship, awarded for best combined scores at Acura Key West and the Acura Miami Grand Prix. “I just found out about that competition today and certainly that would be a nice added treat,” Woolery said. The Farr 40 and Melges 32 Acura Grand Prix Championships will also have to wait until the end of the last day, as Joe Fly holds but a nine-point lead over fellow Italian entry Mascalzone Latino (Vincenzo Onorato) in the Farr 40 class and New Wave has only a 10-point advantage on Red (Joe Woods, Great Britain) in the Melges 32 class.
For Immediate Release – March 6, 2009
Nerone, Bliksem and Ran Remain on Top at Acura Miami Grand Prix --- Soozal takes over the IRC 2 Lead
By Bill Wagner Skipper Massimo Mezzaroma and his crew on Nerone consolidated their lead in the Farr 40 class while owner Pieter Taselaar and his team aboard Bliksem did the same in Melges 32 during the second day of racing at the 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix. Conditions were once again ideal as an international fleet of 42 boats in four classes completed two races in 12-16 knot easterly winds off South Beach. Niklas Zennstrom’s TP52 Ran remained atop the IRC 1 class and Daniel Woolery’s King 40 Soozal vaulted from third to first in IRC 2 on Friday. “It was classic south Florida conditions in March… a great day to go sailboat racing,” Deputy Race Officer Dick Neville said. “It was shifty enough to make it tactical, but for the most part very steady.” Tactician Vasco Vascotto made all the right calls in Race 5 as Nerone got the gun, its third victory in five races. Nerone now holds a seven-point lead over fellow Italian entry Joe Fly (Giovanni Maspero), a strong start Mezzaroma credits to the changing of the calendar. “Why are we doing so well? Perhaps because it is 2009. I would say that 2008 was a very bad year for Nerone. Like fine wine, we get better with the passing of time,” he said. Goombay Smash, a relative newcomer to the professional-laden class, holds third with 23 points. Past world champions Barking Mad (Jim Richardson) and Mascalzone Latino (Vincenzo Onorato) are lurking within striking distance with 24 apiece. “We love Miami. It has always been a lucky place for us,” Mezzaroma said. “We are very excited about being first after two days. This class is amazing because there are so many good sailors and the competition level is so high.” Nerone did not participate in Acura Key West 2009 and thus is not in contention for the Acura Grand Prix Championship. That special trophy goes to the team with the best combined scored between the two winter regattas run by Premiere Racing. Acura Key West winner Mascalzone Latino along with second and third place finishers Joe Fly and Barking Mad are battling for that honor in Farr 40 class. Taselaar, a native of the Netherlands who now lives in Larchmont, N.Y., got back into competitive racing following a long layoff and chose to campaign the exciting, fast Melges 32 sport boat. He took delivery of Bliksem in November, 2007 and finished second at the Melges 32 National Championship and second at the San Francisco Big-Boat Series. Jeremy Wilmot, a member of the intercollegiate dinghy team at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, is calling tactics on Bliksem. Wilmot, who served as skipper for the Morning Light campaign/film project, spent considerable time this winter helping Taselar improve his steering skills by match racing a Laser SB3. “We have really focused on developing Peter’s driving and it has clearly paid off. He has done a terrific job steering the boat so far this week,” Wilmot said. Wilmot is pleased to have the services of his brother as main trimmer in Miami. Nathan Wilmot captured an Olympic gold medal as skipper for the Australian 470 team in Qingdao, China. This is the eighth regatta for Bliksem and Taselaar is thrilled with the team’s performance. “We have outstanding boat speed and that has gotten us out of some tight spots. We have an excellent crew and our course management has been very solid,” he said. Samba Pa Ti, skippered by John Kilroy of San Francisco, stands six points behind Bliksem after posting solid results of third and fourth on Friday. Morgan Reeser is calling tactics for Kilroy, who has placed no worse than sixth. New Wave, co-owned by Mike Carroll and Marty Kullman of Clearwater, Fla., entered this regatta atop the Acura Grand Prix Championship standings for Melges 32 class. After starting the regatta with a 15th and a 14th, New Wave rebounded yesterday with a bullet in Race 4 followed by a fifth to vault into eighth overall. “Yesterday was our practice day,” joked Kullman, who did not arrive from a business trip to Las Vegas until 2 a.m. on Thursday. “We have two new crew members that needed to get acclimated so it took some time to work out the chinks. We sailed much better today and got ourselves back into the Top 10. Our goal from here on out is to not have any more bad races.” Competition is extremely close in IRC 2 class, which consists of seven diverse designs. Soozal, a Mark Mills-designed King 40 that captured IRC 2 at Acura Key West 2009, posted a pair of bullets on Friday to seize the overall lead with nine total points. Ciao, an Archambault 40 skippered by Philippe Paturel, stands just one point behind. Gold Digger, a J/44 owned by James Bishop, is only three points off the lead. “It has been great racing so far. The Archambault is performing much better than it did in Key West while the J/44 is just a freight train going upwind in heavy air,” Woolery said. “We have been getting good starts and finding clear lanes so far and we need to keep doing that.” IRC 1 consists entirely of boats built to the TP 52 rating rule and Ran holds a narrow one-point advantage over Rio, the British entry skippered by Charles Dunstone that won both races on Friday. Those two teams finished first and third, respectively at Acura Key West 2009 and are now battling for the Acura Grand Prix Championship in IRC 1.
For Immediate Release – March 5, 2009 A Stellar Start for the Acura Miami Grand Prix -- Tight Competition and Great Breeze in First Day of Racing
The 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix kicked off in perfect style. An international fleet of 42 boats from 7 countries and 14 states completed three races in outstanding conditions in the waters off South Beach.
Pieter Taselaar’s Melges 32 Bliksem and Niklas Zennstrom’s TP52 RAN each jumped out ahead in their respective classes, winning all three races. The Italian Farr 40 Nerone also has a solid 6 point lead after winning the first 2 races followed by a second.
“It was a really good day for us, with two firsts and a second, how can you do any better than that?” said skipper Massimo Mezzaroma. “We are very happy with the results. The crew worked really well downwind together.”
Sitting second behind Nerone is Barking Mad, skippered by former World Champion and last year’s Acura Grand Prix winner Jim Richardson of Newport, RI. Barking Mad is followed closely by Giovanni Maspero’s Joe Fly.
In the 19-boat Melges 32 class, Bliksem made a statement taking three bullets on this first day of racing.
“Our starts today were better than they normally are. At the gun we were sailing at full speed and we had more options.” said owner Pieter Taselaar.
In second place with 9 points is Jim Swartz’s Q (Edgartown, MA), followed closely by John Kilroy’s Samba Pa Ti (San Francisco, CA). Mike Carroll’s New Wave had an uncharacteristic off day and saw her 24 point lead for the Acura Grand Prix Championship Trophy shrink to a mere 7 points over Joe Woods’ Red who finished fourth for the day. The Grand Prix Trophy goes to the winner, based on lowest cumulative points, for the Melges 32 Gold Cup, Key West and Miami.
In a strong UK showing, IRC 1, comprised of 4 TP52’s, is led by Niklas Zennstrom’s RAN from Hamble, GBR with Charles Dunstone’s Rio of Cowes, GBR in second. The Russian entry Synergy, owned by Sergey Pichugin, is close behind, just one point out of second.
There is tight racing in IRC 2 as well. Jim Bishop’s J44 Gold Digger out of Jamestown, RI and Philippe Paturel’s Archambault 40 Ciao of Halifax, Nova Scotia are tied for first with 6 points. Daniel Woolery’s King 40 Soozal lies in third, one point back.
Principal Race Officer Dave Brennan, coming off a successful stint as PRO for the Etchells Jaguar Series, and his highly-respected team of race officials, gave the competitors what they came for…a fantastic day of racing in ideal southern Florida conditions.
“What a great start to the week,” commented Event Director Peter Craig, “With the breeze at 15-20 knots, temperatures touching on 70 degrees and three exciting races, it was a great way to get the racing started off South Beach.”
Action in the four-day event continues on Friday with organizers planning to conduct two races. The 10-race series, being held on a course set just off the north end of Key Biscayne, concludes on Sunday. http://www.premiere-racing.com
For Immediate Release – March 4, 2009
Acura Miami Grand Prix Ready to Rock --- Warm Sunshine and Ocean Breezes Welcome International Fleet
Miami Beach, Fla – Sailors from seven countries and 14 states are preparing to do fierce, yet friendly battle in the ocean waters off America’s Riveria. Led by top-notch TP52 programs that all competed at Acura Key West in January, this truly is a grand prix event.
Ennio Staffini, the US TP52 entry in the IRC 1 class commented: “The field will be very competitive and each of the four boats has a legitimate shot at winning the regatta. Our team performed much better than we would have hoped in Key West and improved greatly during the week. We look forward to a rematch, sailing again against the TP52s in Miami.”
Staffini’s Anema & Core hails from Annapolis, MD. This is the third year in Miami for Sergey Pichugin’s Synergy (Moscow, RUS and Gibraltar). The two UK entries are new this year. Nicklas Zennstrom’s RAN won Acura Key West 2009 and Charles Dunstone’s RIO was not far behind in 3rd place.
The Farr 40 fleet bears its usual hallmarks of highly competitive, international entries. The tactician list reads like a who’s who in grand prix competition. Bill Hardesty, on Helmut Jahn’s Flash Gordon 6, just achieved an impressive win in the Etchells Jaguar Mid-Winters on nearby Biscayne Bay. 2008 Rolex Yachtsman of the year Terry Hutchinson is again with Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad, and Adrian Stead brings his Olympic and multiple world championship experience to Vincenzo Onorato’s Mascalzone Latino team. And there are more you’ll be reading about in the coming days in Miami.
The Melges 32s, the largest class with 19 boats, also has an impressive grand prix flavor. Mike Carroll and Marty Kullman’s New Wave is the 2008 Gold Cup Champion and defending 2008 Acura Grand Prix Champion. The St. Petersburg, Fl team faces two recent Key West podium finishers in Joe Woods’s Red (Torbay, UK) and Jason Carroll’s Argo (Larchmont, NY). They placed 2nd and 3rd last January.
IRC 2 will be plenty competitive too, with new models, local sailors, and plenty of experience on board all boats. Dan Kerckhoff’s Santa Cruz 37 Southern Crescent is so new he sailed it for the first time yesterday. The Naples, Fla owner is “looking forward to a great sailing and having a wonderful time”. Two recent Acura Key West champions are in this class. Jon Halbert won the Swan 42 class in Vitesse (Dallas, TX) and Dan Woolery took class honors in IRC 2 with his new King 40 Soozal (Point Richmond, CA).
Four days of racing begins Thursday March 5. Scratch sheet and event information: http://www.premiere-racing.com
ACURA GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONSHIP - STANDINGS AFTER ACURA KEY WEST 2009
IRC Combined 1. Ran (TP52), Niklas Zennstrom, Hamble, GBR 18 pts. 2. Soozal (King 40), Daniel Woolery, Pt. Richmond, CA, 19 pts. 3. Rio (TP52),Charles Dunstone, Cowes, GBR, 28 pts.
Farr 40 1. Mascalzone Latino, Vincenzo Onorato, Napoli,ITA, 32 pts 2. Joe Fly, Giovanni Maspero, Como, ITA, 35 pts 3. Barking Mad, James Richardson, Newport, RI, 35 pts
Melges 32 1. New Wave, M Carroll/M Kullman, Clearwater, FL, 76 pts 2. Red, Joe Woods, Torbay, GBR, 100 pts 3. Ninkasi, John Taylor, Big Sky, MT 120 pts
The 2009 Acura Grand Prix Championship scoring for the Farr 40 and Combined IRC class is based on the lowest cumulative points scored for both Acura Key West 2009 and the 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix combined. For the Melges 32 class it is based on the lowest cumulative points scored for the 2008 Melges 32 Gold Cup, Acura Key West 2009 and the 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix combined.
For Immediate Release - February 24, 2009
World Class Programs Ready for 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix --- Acura Grand Prix Combined Championships at Stake
Miami Beach, Fla – Top tier programs and class champions are preparing for battle in the ocean waters off South Beach. The Acura Miami Grand Prix scratch sheet has an impressive 44 boat turnout, loaded with international talent.
IRC, Farr 40 and Melges 32 classes are all well represented. IRC boats will race in two classes: IRC 1 with the big boat TP52s and IRC 2 where the smallest boat is the Sydney 36 Spiderglide. Melges 32s are 21 boats strong and the Farr 40s have 12 high-octane programs on the line.
Defending champion Jim Richardson (Barking Mad, Newport, RI) summed it up nicely: “We know we will have our hands full competing against some great programs, like Vincenzo Onorato's Mascalzone Latino, Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone, Giovanni Maspereo's Joe Fly, Doug Douglass' Goombay Smash, HRH Crown Prince Frederik's Nanoq and a whole host of very talented teams.
“We are very much looking forward to returning to Miami Beach for the Acura Miami Grand Prix. It is a terrific venue and always one of the highlights of our sailing season. While we know it will be difficult to defend our title of a year ago, we also know we can be assured of tight racing, great race management and loads of fun off the water”, added Richardson.
Barking Mad and Mike Carroll and Marty Kullman’s Melges 32 New Wave are defending Acura Grand Prix Champions. This prestigious designation is awarded to the boats with the lowest combined cumulative points for both Acura Key West and the Acura Miami Grand Prix. This year the Melges 32 Gold Cup results are included in that class’s scores.
The Combined IRC Acura Grand Prix leaders are separated by just one point. Niklas Zennstrom’s TP52 Ran (Hamble, GBR) holds the edge over Dan Woolery’s King 40 Soozal (Pt. Richmond, CA).
Mascalzone Latino brings a 3 point winning margin from Key West, with Joe Fly and Barking Mad clearly in the hunt. New Wave has an impressive 24 point lead going into the third event.
Event Director Peter Craig expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming event: “Racing in the ocean off South Beach is always terrific and the rematches from Key West are quite exciting. It’s great to see such a strong turnout and so many programs taking advantage of Premiere Racing’s second south Florida event.”
Racing begins on March 5. Four race days with as many as ten races are scheduled. Event details, entries, past results and current Acura Grand Prix standing are available at premiere-racing.com
For Immediate Release - February 4, 2009
Acura Miami Grand Prix Ready for Action --- Four Days of Racing Begin March 5
Miami Beach, Fla – Rematches and tough competition will be the order of the day at the 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix. Florida sunshine and dependable breezes beckon sailors from across the county and around the world.
Event Director Peter Craig and Principal Race Officer Dave Brennan are preparing to conduct another great week of racing in the ocean waters off America’s Riviera - South Beach.
“Premiere Racing is very encouraged by the entries to date. We expected some impact given the global economic troubles, but were always confident that there would be a high quality turnout that would produce great racing just like we had in Key West last month,” said Craig. “The four classes will be represented by top-tier programs,” he added.
IRC, Farr 40 and Melges 32 classes have a good mix of recent Acura Key West 2009 champions and participants along with boats that will be adding new flavor to the competition in Miami.
Vincenzo Onorato’s Mascalzone Latino (Napoli, Italy) took Farr 40 top honors in Key West last month by a narrow 3 point margin. Fellow countryman Maspero Giovanni’s Joe Fly (Como, Italy) edged out Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad (Boston, MA) on a tie-breaker for second and third place. Reigning world champion Onorato appears unstoppable, but with a projected field of 12-15 boats, anything can happen in this grand prix class.
“We’re really looking forward to another great Premiere Racing event in South Beach,” said Terry Hutchinson, Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and Richardson’s tactician. “Mascalzone Latino and Joe Fly sailed great regattas in Key West and onboard Barking Mad we are looking forward to another opportunity to test ourselves against those two great Italian teams. Hopefully with a different outcome!” he added.
IRC classes will split into a big boat IRC 1 class consisting of TP52s, and IRC 2 with the “40 footers”, including John Cooper’s Mills 43 Cool Breeze (Cane Hill, MO) launched in December and Jim Bishop’s venerable J/44 Gold Digger (Jamestown, RI). They’ll be joined by at least two Swan 42s. Racing one design in Key West, John Halbert’s Vitesse (Dallas, TX) took top honors, with Malcom Gefter’s Celeritas (Newport, RI) on the podium finishing third.
Nicklas Zennstrom’s TP52 Ran (Hamble, GBR) led IRC 1 all week in Key West. Challengers are Ennio Staffini’s Anema & Core (Annapolis, MD), Charles Dunstone’s Rio (Cowes, GBR), and Sergey Pichugin’s Synergy (Moscow, RUS).
The Melges 32 class made its Miami debut in 2006 with six boats. They’ve been newsmakers and a photographer’s delight every year since. 2008 Acura Miami Grand Prix champion, Michael Illbruck’s Pinta (Munich, GER), will defend against a field of no less than 12 boats, the majority of which are fresh from Key West’s proving grounds. Jeff Ecklund’s Star (Fort Lauderdale, FL) won class honors and Acura Boat of the Week in January. Melges 32s were recognized as the class with the closest most competitive racing.
All four classes are in the hunt for the Acura Grand Prix Awards will be presented to the boats with the lowest combined cumulative points for Acura Key West and the Acura Miami Grand Prix in their respective classes. Given the stature of both events and the competitiveness of these grand prix classes, these recipients will be special champions. This year the Melges 32 Gold Cup results are included in that class’s scores. Perpetual awards are in the offing to the Farr 40, Melges 32 classes and IRC classes. Barking Mad (Farr 40) and New Wave (Melges 32) are defending Acura Grand Prix Champions.
Four race days with as many as ten races are scheduled. The first entry deadline is February 6.
Event details, entries and past results are available at www.Premiere-Racing.com
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