Shockwave ahead

Two races held at Copa del Rey MAPFRE

The 33rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE got underway on the Bay of Palma and the wind conditions allowed two races to be sailed all classes. The 117 competing yachts set off at 13:00 in a southerly wind of approximately 8-12 knots.

The Mini Maxi fleet started the week well for the American teams. George Sakellaris’ R-P 72 Shockwave opened their scoreline with a victory and a second in race two, to lead after day one, followed by Andres Soriano’s Mills 72 Alegre, winner here in 2013. Alegre made it ​​up for her last position in the first race of the day by winning the second, leaving her second overall with American Hap Fauth’s J-V72 Bella Mente third overall posting a 2-4.

In the Gaastra IRC 1 class, Italian Giuseppe Parodi’s TP52 Hurakan leads the class after a third and a first place today. Hurakan is followed by the French team on @robas (2-3) and Team Vision Future, winner of the first race and fifth in the second.

The largest class, BMW ORC 1, today favoured Swan 45s, which have taken the top four positions. Rafael Carbonell’s Rats on Fire, skippered by Manuel Doreste, the defending champion, got off to a strong start with victories both today's races. In second and third are the Dutch team on No Limits (3-3) and German Christian Plump’s Elena Nova (5-2).

In BMW ORC 2, Enrique Terol and Pedro Campos’ Movistar also started well in defending their title. In 2013 the Galician boat scored six bullets in ten races and today posted two bullets, in both races followed by Joan Cabrer’s Airlan Aermec and Lluis Blanchar and Carles Rodríguez’s Varador 2000.

Conversely the Nespresso X-35 one designs had two winners today - Italian Alessandro Sollerio’s Lelagain claimed the first and José Luis Maldonado’s Fyord - Valencia Luxury the second. However overall leader is Javier Banderas’ Puerto Deportivo Benalmádena skippered by Dani Cuevas, was the most regular with a third and a second place.

The Herbalife J/80 class is turning into a duel between Herbalife, skippered by Javier Padrón winner of the first race and José María Van der Ploeg’s Factor Energía, which claimed the second, both respectively second in the races they didn't win. Third is Carlos Martinez’s Movistar (3-5).

See the reports from the 52 Super Series and Gazprom Swan 60 Worlds at Copa del Rey.

Aside from the racing, ashore visiting the Real Club Náutico de Palma this afternoon was Steven Van Zandt, guitarist of Bruce Springsteen and an actor in The Sopranos, along with the Spanish entrepreneur and writer Fiona Ferrer, who attended the Nespresso Brunch this morning.

The competition returns tomorrow, with two scheduled windward-leeward races for all classes at 13h00.

Provisional top three results:

Gaastra IRC 0
1.- Shockwave, USA, George Sakellaris, 1+2=3
2.- Alegre, GBR, Andrés Soriano, 5+1=6
3.- Bella Mente, USA, Hap Fauth, 2+4=6
…up to 5 entries

Gaastra IRC 1
1.- Hurakan, ITA, Giuseppe Parodi, 3+1=4
2.- @robas, FRA, Logel, 2+3=5
3.- Team Vision Future, FRA, Mergui Mikael, 1+5=6
…up to 10 entries

Barclays 52 Super Series
1.- Quantum Racing, USA, Ed Baird, 2+1=3
2.- Rán, SWE, Niklas Zennström, 1+7=8
3.- Azzurra, ITA, Alberto Roemmers, 3+5=8
…up to 7 entries

BMW ORC 1
1.- Rats on Fire, ESP, Manuel Doreste, 1+1=2
2.- No Limits, ESP, RW Bol, 3+3=6
3.- Elena Nova, ESP, Christian Plump, 5+2=7
… up to 38 entries

BMW ORC 2
1.- Movistar, ESP, Pedro Campos, 1+1=2
2.- Airlan Aermec, ESP, Teo Matheu Riera, 2+2=4
3.- Varador 2000, ESP, Lluis Blanchar, 4+4=8
… up to 22 entries

Gazprom Swan 60
1.- Tsaar Peter, RUS, Sergey Borodinov, 3+1=4
2.- Bronenosec, RUS, Vladimir Liubomirov, 1+4=5
3.- Windward, CHN, Lorenzo Bortolotti, 4+3=7
… up to 7 entries

Nespresso X-35
1.- Puerto Deportivo Benalmádena, ESP, Dani Cuevas, 3+2=5
2.- Lelagain, ITA, Alessandro Solerio, 1+5=6
3.- Audi e-tron, FIN, Teemu Kekkonen, 7+3=10
… up to 12 entries

Herbalife J80
1.- Herbalife, ESP, Javier Padrón, 2+1=3
2.- Factor Energía, ESP, José Mª Van der Ploeg, 1+2=3
3.- Movistar, ESP, Carlos Martínez, 3+5=8
… up to 16 entries