Marseille debut for Ellison's USA17

BMW Oracle Racing TP52 one of 14 entered in second leg of Audi MedCup Circuit

With just one week to go to the City of Marseille Trophy, the second leg of the Audi MedCup Circuit, preparations on the North side of Marseille"s Vieux Port are in full swing for what promises to be an exceptional regatta.

Each event on the Audi MedCup Circuit has its own particular culture, atmosphere, geographical constraints and spirit. Whilst the concept of the Audi MedCup Village is the same at each of the six venues its physical location has to be adapted to the lay of the land. In Marseille, the fleet of 14 TP52s registered to compete on this leg will be docked in front of the Mairie or Town Hall on the North Side of the famous Vieux Port, and the Village will be wrapped around the same town hall. The Vieux Port is the definition of the city centre of Marseille, France’s third city. It is full of boats but it is also the heart of the central business district and features an eclectic mix of restaurants, bars, shops and offices, more than enough for sailors, families, sponsors and their guests to enjoy when they are not on the water.

The racing will take place on the Rade Sud, just three nautical miles from the Vieux Port. It is a bay surrounded by the famous Marseille Corniche to the North and East and by the Frioul Islands to the North West. It is open to the full force of the Mediterranean from the South West and the area is renowned for its challenging sea breezes in the Summer and strong Mistral winds in the Spring and Autumn. Collectively this makes Marseille, and the Rade Sud in particular, one of the best natural sailing amphitheatres in the world.

“Sailors love to race here. Marseille has everything, sun, wind, challenging courses and the most amazing backdrop,” said Bruno Troublé, one of the event’s local organisers.

Racing for the City of Marseille Trophy starts on Monday 2nd June with a series of practice races which feature guests spots on board the racing yachts for media representatives and VIPs. Racing for points will begin on Tuesday 3rd June and will continue until Saturday 7th June when the City of Marseille Trophy will be awarded to the top team. With up to three inshore windward-leeward courses scheduled for every race day, except Thursday, when a double points scoring coastal race is planned, the teams competing in Marseille may have sailed as many as 10 races by the end of the week if conditions allow. From Marseille teams add their aggregate to their points already earned at the previous leg of the Audi MedCup Circuit, which was run from the Spanish port of Alicante just two weeks ago.

Leading the Audi MedCup Circuit series following their success in Alicante is Mean Machine, the Monaco-registered yacht sailed by Dutch owner Peter de Ridder and his mostly New Zealand crew. Following a slow start the black-hulled yacht won five straight races in the first event and is most definitely the boat to beat in Marseille. Just one point adrift of the lead in the standings is José Cusi’s Spanish yacht Bribón, skippered by New Zealand America’s Cup skipper Dean Barker. The American team Quantum Racing, led by Terry Hutchinson, is in third and will no longer be the sole American representative in Marseille.

Making their debut in the Audi MedCup Circuit is USA-17, the brand new TP52 that belongs to the Challenger of the 33rd America’s Cup BMW Oracle Racing, will be sailed by Russell Coutts and James Spithill. This Reichel/Pugh-designed boat is a sistership to the new Artemis (SWE), the boat that finished 6th in Alicante.

Although there is no French entry on the Audi MedCup Circuit, French sailors occupy key roles on several of the top boats. On Bribón Gilles André and Romain Troublé run the front of the boat, on Ricardo Simoneschi’s Italian Audi Q8 Phillipe Presti trims the mainsheet and, making his debut on the Audi MedCup Circuit, Sebastien Col, skipper of the last French America’s Cup Challenger, will be responsible for the tactics on board Mutua Madrileña with Italian sailing star Vasco Vascotto.

Current Audi MedCup Circuit Top Ten

1st Mean Machine MON 41
2nd Bribón ESP 42
3rd Quantum USA 46
4th TAU Ceramica Andalucía ESP 55
5th Platoon by Team Germany GER 58
6th Artemis SWE 60
7th Mutua Madrileña ESP 65
8th El Desafío ESP 65
9th Matador ARG 67
10th Cristabella GBR 85

Following Marseille racing for the 2008 Audi MedCup Circuit will continue:
Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy (30 June - 5 July)
Puerto Portals, Majorca, Spain (21 - 26 July)
Carthargena, Spain (25 - 30 August)
Portimao, Portugal (15 - 20 September).