New Mean Machine

Peter de Ridder presses the button on a new fourth generation TP 52 for the 2008 season

Peter de Ridder has announced that he will be building a new Mean Machine TP 52 for the 2008 Breitling MedCup season. The boat will be number 22 in the famous Mean Machine lineage, and will be the very first of the latest fourth generation of European TP 52s.

The new Mean Machine will be designed once again by Rolf Vrojlik and building is due to start at the beginning of autumn.

The close relationship between Dutchmen De Ridder and Vrojlik goes back to 1986 when Vrolijk created the first Mean Machine, a One-Tonner. Since then seven Mean Machines have come from the Rolf Vrolijk hand: In 1986, 1989 and 1990 there were three One-Tonners; in 1995 he brought an ILC46 to life, as well as an ILC30 and 40 in 1997, and then in 2006 the Mean Machine TP52 appeared on the scene and took the prestigious 2006 Breitling MedCup title.

For the design of the new 52 footer each of the Mean Machine crew members has played an important and active part. Arranged in groups focusing on the different areas of the design, the team have been working closely with Vrolijk’s studio.

Peter de Ridder, founder of the Mean Machine family: “Basically almost the whole team is involved in the design, with emphasis on different areas: Hull lines, appendages, rig, deck layout and systems. At the end of the day, when all the ideas, coming from the team, are sorted it's Chris Reid, Dirk de Ridder, Ray Davies, Tom Dodson and myself communicating with Rolf and Dirk Kramers”.

Despite the fact that the “Old Lady” (as Peter affectionately refers to his present boat), still has a lot of fight left in her, the Mean Machine team has always prided itself on striving for perfection through skilled teamwork.

Peter de Ridder is very excited about the news: “We’ve really been thinking this through. The whole team has been working on this for months, and we’ve been learning a lot from the new boats we’ve seen in 2007. Indeed the Old Lady is still in a reasonable good shape, but there's no doubt that the new boats, and especially the 2007 Judel/Vrolijk ones are quicker upwind”