Brontolo ahead by a point

After the opening day of the Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series in Scarlino

Perfect 12-14 knot southerly winds opened the second round of the 2010 Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series, now underway at the Marina di Scarlino in Italy. Favourites were reigning World Champion Pieter Taselaar on Bliksem with Jeremy Wilmot on tactics and circuit leader Lanfranco Cirillo on Fantastica with tactician Michele Paoletti, but it was other teams that stole the show today.

The day started off in the worst way for Cirillo. He felt the effects of a very tough race being shuffled back for a 13th place finish, paving the way for Taselaar, who proved he didn't need a warm-up to do well, immediately winning the first race. Second place went to Mauro Mocchegiani on Rush Diletta with Matteo Ivaldi on tactics in third, Luca Lalli excelled with tactician Lorenzo Bressani.

Filippo Pacinotti on Brontolo made the most of his Swedish Champion tactician Freddy Loof in race two, as they proved most in tune with the oscillating breeze, harnessing the power of his Melges 32 to advance past Taselaar at the leeward gate. Pacinotti took the win, Taselaar was second and Cirillo recovered for a close third place finish.

In the final race of the day, Edoardo Lupi on Torpyone savoured the taste of victory. From start to finish, he and tactician Branko Brcin were on the offensive and improved their position to win by a meter. Lalli placed a valuable second. The dynamic duo combination of owner Carlo Alberini and tactician Gabriele Benussi on Calvi Network were third. Taselaar, on the other hand found himself with an unsatisfying eighth place finish in comparison to Pacinotti’s overall consistency and fourth place finish allowing him a slim one point lead over the yankees and Lalli tied with eleven points a piece.

A very special thanks is in full order to Roark Melges 32 owner Kees Kaan as he hosted a grand Konninginnedag party for the fleet on the docks immediately after racing. Queen’s day, or Koninginnedag as it is called in the Netherlands, is a national holiday in which they celebrate the birthday of the Queen of the Netherlands. It is also a typical occasion for the world famous Orange Craze. On this day, people wear orange clothing and creative accessories. The color is a ubiquitous sight, referring to the name of the royal family, the House of Orange. And so, the Melges 32 fleet put on the orange!

Results (after 3 races)
1.) Filippo Pacinotti/Freddy Loof, Brontolo; 5-1-4 = 10
2.) Pieter Taselaar/Jeremy Wilmot, Bliksem; 1-2-8 = 11
3.) Luca Lalli/Lorenzo Bressani, BLinSailing.com; 3-6-2 = 11
4.) Carlo Alberini/Gabriele Benussi, Calvi Network; 9-4-3 = 16
5.) Edoardo Lupi/Branko Brcin, Torpyone; 11-7-1 = 19
6.) Mauro Mocchegiani/Matteo Ivaldi, Rush Diletta; 2-8-9 = 19
7.) Lanfranco Cirillo/Michele Paoletti, Fantastica; 13-3-7 = 23
8.) Edoardo Pavesio/Michele Giovannini, Maserati Fra Martina; 7-5-13 = 25
9.) Francesco Martino/Vasco Vascotto, Pilot Italia; 4-13-11 = 28
10.) Ferdinando Battistella/Sandro Montefusco, Cuervo Y Sobrinos; 15-9-5 = 29
11.) Peter Rogers/Ruaridh Scott, Highlife; 6-11-14 = 31
12.) Wolfgang Stolz/Steve Mohr, Opus One; 16-10-6 = 32
13.) Kees Kahn/Rutger Krijger, ROARK; 14-12-10 = 36
14.) Carlo Pesenti/Pietro D’Ali, i.nova.2; 10-14-12 = 36
15.) Martin Knetig/Martin Trcka, Black Mamba; 8-16-16 = 40
16.) Roberto Pardini/Salvatore Pardini, Janas; 12-15-15 = 42
17.) Francesco Sarena/Giorgi Valerio, H2SO4; 17-17-17 = 51