In the first race, for example, the two front-runners found themselves tangled up with each other and Team Nordic, all fighting for a pin-end start as the fasted path to the favored left side of the course. Aggressive maneuvers between the three resulted in flags, shouting from the teams, and a whistle from the on-water jury before the three disentangled and set off for the left corner. Keeping clear of the fight with an perfectly-timed start in the middle of the line, Javier Goizueta’s (ESP)  Caser-Endesa (ESP) took and held the lead for their second win of the series. Roma’s (ITA) third place and Islas Canarias Puerto Calero’s (ESP) second place in this race closed the point gap down to eight, but there were still two races left.

In the second race, Team Nordic (SWE) was this time nowhere to be found, having dropped out for an unrepairable gear failure on their deckhouse, yet somehow Roma and Islas Canarias Puerto Calero got tangled up, fighting yet again for the pin. The Italian team won the fight this time, forcing the Canarians to tack away and duck the rest of the fleet coming off the line on starboard tack, but Roma paid the price of being slow and barely able to clear the pin end.

Yet this power of the pin kicked in further up the leg, allowing Roma to stay close and hang on as the breeze built and Islas Canarias Puerto Calero found a favorable lane on the right side and put her awesome boatspeed in these conditions to work and take the lead. With Caser-Endesa having to fight off a late charge made by Jose Maria van der Ploeg’s (ESP) Turismo Madrid (ESP), and the two finishing overlapped with Caser-Endesa in the lead by a mere metre, Roma was able to go into the final race with a strong position: a 7-point gap now with the local Canarias team and only one race left.

In this race Caser-Endesa this time took the pin for themselves, and in a playbook now very familiar after four days of racing, they led to the left corner, crossed everyone close to the layline, led around the top mark and offset, and simply continued to lead around the track to extend to victory. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero had tried repeatedly to get into a passing lane, and for a while Caser-Endesa would make aggressive covering manouevers to prevent this, but the 3-point gap needed to fill with other boats to take the runner-up position from the local favorites just couldn’t be overcome, so Caser-Endesa, with owner Javier Goizueta (ESP) on board as a guest, had to settle for being third overall but satisfied as winner of the day on scores of 1-3-1, their best day of the series and second time being champions for the day.

So, Bravo! to Faruffini, Cian, and all the members of the victorious Roma team: Gabriele Benussi (ITA), Paolo Bottari (ITA), Santino Brizzi (ITA), Pierluigi Formelli (ITA), Fabio Montefusco (ITA), Salvatore Pavoni (ITA), Matis Picornell (ESP), and Enrico Zennaro (ITA).

This is the final event of the GP42 season, after an impressive debut in this year’s Audi MedCup’s five stages, an Owner-Driver Championship in Cascais, and this spectacular Global Cup finale in Lanzarote.

The next event for the GP42 class will be at next year’s Audi MedCup Circuit Stage One in May, 2010 in Portugal.

Puerto Calero GP42 Global Cup
Final Results

1. Roma (ITA, Paolo Cian), 4 2 3 1 2 2 1 3 1 3 2 3= 27 points
2. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP, José María Ponce), 5 5 1 3 1 3 6 1 3 2 1 2= 33 points
3. Caser-Endesa (ESP, Juan Luis Páez), 7 4 2 2 3 1 3 2 5 1 3 1= 34 points
4. Turismo Madrid (ESP, José María Van der Ploeg), 2 1 4 5 5 4 5 4 4 6 4 4= 48 points
5. Quebramar Xacobeo 2010 (POR, Felipe Regojo), 1 7 5 4 4 5 2 5 6 4 7 5= 55 points
6. Airis (ITA, Roberto Monti),  3 3 6 6 6 6 4 6 2 5 5 6= 58 points
7. Península Petroleum (GBR, John Bassadone), 9(OCS) 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 7= 84 points
8. Nordic Team (SWE, Magnus Olsson), 6 8 8 8 8 8 9(DNS) 8 8 8 9(DNC) 9(DNC)= 97 points

For quotes of the day, visit www.gp42globalcup.com

Paolo Cian (ITA) skipper, Roma 2 (ITA):
“This was a hard-fought victory for us, and a long time in coming. The MedCup did not go our way – the Puerto Calero team have a fast boat and they did a very good job – but I think our teamwork and hard efforts finally paid off here. This is a great victory for the entire Roma team.”

Matias Picornell (ESP), navigator, Roma 2 (ITA):
“Not winning the MedCup was a real lesson for us, but we learned a lot and have finally put all that to work here in Lanzarote. We hope we can use this again next year to continue our success here.”

Juan Luis Páez (ESP), helmsman Caser-Endesa (ESP):
“It's been a good day today, although we are a bit disappointed too. We've won two races today, and were third in another one, so I think we kind of deserved being second...but Islas Canarias Puerto Calero were very strong today. I think the three first boats, Roma, Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, and us, we've set a difference with the rest of the fleet.”

José María Ponce (ESP), helmsman Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP):
“The protest [between us and Roma] has been dismissed, because we've not presented it in time, so they haven't even looked at it. In any case Roma has been very consistent, and in regards with the protest, I think we would have won it. Anyway I think we've done a great job today, despite our starts, which were all very complicated.”

Paolo Cian (ITA), helmsman Roma II (ITA):
 “The truth is that it would have been very disappointed to end up losing the championship [due to a protest] after our consistency. But the GP42’s are like football, you have to wait until the last minute. And I already said it yesterday, that we had to wait, because things could change. This is one of the most equal fleets there is in sailing.”

And with the strong left-side bias in the course area off Playa Honda north of the airport, the traps are there for anyone who cannot get to that corner where a favorable shift and less adverse current lies as a reward. If the breeze does increase up to over 15 knots, then the effect is slightly less, but if the trend of increasing pressure through the day continues it may be all over by then with a winner already in hand.

The reason for the constraint of course location is simple: water depth. Reggio and team have their signal boat anchored in 65m of water depth, and just a few metres away that depth plunges to over 300, impossible to anchor anything. And trying to go closer to shore makes the bias even stronger, so Reggio is literally on the edge.

As will be eight lucky guests who will be perched one each on the stern of each of the GP42’s today, a template of the programme used in the practice racing in this class but will be used as a regular feature in next year’s Audi MedCup. “This is very valuable for us,” says Javier Goizueta (ESP), owner of Caser-Endesa (ESP). "It gives us the opportunity to have sponsors experience firsthand the beauty and intensity of this sport. Everyone who goes loves it.”

The day’s first race featured a little less breeze than yesterday, with the 9-11 knot easterly giving some of the new teams a better chance at hanging with the veterans, and a little more space on the starting line left by the absence of Team Nordic made for a tight first beat. Roma (ITA), driven by Paolo Cian (ITA) did what they do best: lead the pack and try to hold off the inevitable downwind charge made by the Botin & Carkeek-designed sisterships Islas CanariasPuerto Calero (ESP) and Javier Goizueta’s Caser-Endesa (ESP) who seem to have the best all-around speed of any in this fleet. A cleverly-executed slow gybe made by the match race master Cian on the layline to the first downwind gate shook off Endesa back into the pack, allowing Goncalo Esteves’ (POR) Quebramar – Xacobeo 2010 (POR) to play through to take second, while the Canarias team got forced back and suffered their worst finish yet.

With the breeze building to 13-14 knots, Caser-Endesa and Islas Canarias Puerto Calero then came into their own, helped by the local team winning the pin end start and the race to the favored left side, while Endesa took advantage of the right. PRO Peter “Luigi” Reggio intentionally set a slight bias this way into the starting line to help compensate for the mad rush made to the left side of the course, so those who could start and hold that lane could often prevail all the way to the corner. The fight for that side was won by Endesa, but lost by Roberto Monti’s (ITA) Airis (ITA), who got locked out at the boat end and had to gybe back around to start.

With Islas Canarias Puerto Calero winning the pin and Roma forced to tack away before getting to the left corner, the race for the lead then became between the two sisterships, with Canarias team able to prevail and take her third win of the series, to the horn-blaring delight of the spectator fleet.

The third race had yet more breeze, getting to 16 knots, and Cian did what he had to do, and more: finding himself in the second row line-up for the pin end behind Islas Canarias Pueto Calero, Caser-Endesa, and Team Nordic (SWE), Cian deftly stepped to the middle with two quick tacks perfectly positioned and timed to roll over this group. Endesa got too far to leeward and hit the mark, Islas Canarias Puerto Calero was slow and got rolled, the hapless Team Nordic, despite terrific positioning by helmsman Rasmus Hosner, simply did not have the pace to hold off Roma, who took the early lead and extended, relatively unmollested.

To make matters worse for the B&C sisterships, a gap opened up for Airis to roll into position to have their best position yet amongst the leaders. Even Quebramar Xacobeo 2010 – despite older sails and helmsman Felipe Regojo (ESP) being in only his second GP42 class event – was right amongst the front of the pack as well, except for one small detail at the weather mark: a black boat called Turismo Madrid (ESP). The bright lizard-green Quebramar Xacobeo 2010 was trying to follow Airis on port tack to get around the bow of Madrid on starboard, but it was not to be: the loud shouting, gasps from the spectators, and shrill whistle from the jury were all that prevented a massive carbon fibre collision.

As Quebramar Xacobeo 2010 did their circles of shame above the offset leg, this opened yet another gap for Team Nordic and Peninsula Petroleum (GBR) – who are usually trailing in all the races – to play through and be amongst the top of the pack mixing it up with teams they usually only see at the starts.

So, its been a rough and tumble day here in Lanzarote, and while some lick their wounds and drown sorrows courtesy of the fabulous hospitality of the Puerto Calero venue, others will be doing the math and strategizing on how to do what they need to do in the final day’s three races, which starts tomorrow at 1200 local time.

Puerto Calero GP42 Global Cup
Día 3

1. Roma (ITA, Paolo Cian), 4 2 3 1 2 2 1 3 1= 19 points 

2. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP, José María Ponce), 5 5 1 3 1 3 6 1 3= 28 points
3. Caser-Endesa (ESP, uan Luis Páez), 7 4 2 2 3 1 3 2 5= 29 points
4. Turismo Madrid (ESP, José María van der Ploeg), 2 1 4 5 5 4 5 4 4= 34 points
5. Quebramar Xacobeo 2010 (POR, Felipe Regojo), 1 7 5 4 4 5 2 5 6= 39 points
6. Airis (ITA, Roberto Monti),  3 3 6 6 6 6 4 6 2= 42 points 

7. Península Petroleum (GBR, John Bassadone), 9(OCS) 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7= 64 points
8. Nordic Team (SWE, Magnus Olsson), 6 8 8 8 8 8 9(DNS) 8 8= 71 points

For quotes of the day, visit www.gp42globalcup.com

Jose María Van der Ploeg (ESP), helmsman Turismo Madrid (ESP):
“It's a miracle that we've been able to finish the third race, since in the second race our keel laminate began to split apart, and broke completely in the third race. In any case our boat is too slow upwind, we can’t get to the left are where it pays, and if you are not at the top things gets very complicated.”

Paolo Cian (ITA), helmsman Roma II (ITA):
“It's been a great day today in terms of strategy and tactics. I try to put the boat in the direction the tactician tells me to, and when we do a good job in the pre-start we protect the left side we dictate the rhythm of the first beat. We do well when we've opened up a good gap, but it's easy to make mistakes and finish 4th or 5th in this fleet.”

José María Ponce (ESP), helmsman Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP):
“It's not been our best day today, we've lacked consistency, and we are now second but far from Roma. Honestly that's quite a bit to try to do something. I think the first race has been bad for our aspirations, so now maybe we should try to secure the second place...the plan for tomorrow is winning the first race, and then we'll see. In the third race today, Team Nordic came really close to leeward and we had to stop, and then pass them from behind, so they probably took with them our possibilities of winning the race.”

Richard Mason (NZL), main trimmer, Team Nordic (SWE):
“We made some progress this morning getting our rig re-tuned, as some of the D2 turnbuckles were seized up. So we have had to start from scratch without really knowing where to go, and just trying what we can. Because of the problem with the shroud lengths, we cannot get up to the same jack pressure the others are carrying when the breeze comes up, so that hurts us when we try and hold a lane. Then the tack fitting blew up on the second beat of the last race when we were finally up there! But we keep trying, and tomorrow hope for some shifty conditions so we can get into the game a little better than we are now.”

Matias Picornell (ESP), navigator, Roma 2 (ITA):
“The team this week is pretty new, so we’re finally getting settled in together in knowing our roles, and its working well. This makes Paolo relaxed, which helps in our performance. We’re certainly feeling better than yesterday with this lead, but we have to keep it up one more day.”

Out on the course area off Playa Honda there is slightly less pressure, 10-12 knots, and Team Nordic is struggling to get to the starting area on time after a long morning trying to unravel the mysteries of their rig tune.

PRO Peter Reggio has no sympathy for the Swedes, and has fired his signals on time for a 4-leg course, but the distance is shorter to 1.4 miles to reflect the lighter breeze.

But the most movement through the ranks came from Javier Goizueta’s (ESP) Caser-Endesa (ESP), who on scores of 2-3-1 had a much-improved performance over their 7-4-2 scores of yesterday. Good starts, excellent speed, and clever positioning by this team led by skipper Juan Luiz Paez (ESP) has moved them from 6th to 3rd in the standings, just one point behind the local Canarias team.

The change in today’s performances was due mostly to the change in conditions: the first race of the day featured a brisk 16 knots, the most seen yet here in Lanzarote, and the seasoned players from the Audi MedCup were able to break free on the upwind legs with just enough margin to get to the front and stay in front of the pack after the 1.8-mile windward legs set by race manager Peter “Luigi” Reggio. On these legs the more favorable pressure and less current found on the left side of the course set just north of the airport at Playa Honda made every race a race for this corner, with those getting there first always able to lead back in the lead.

So, the chess game for control of this corner commenced right off the staring line, with those able to come off the line with pace, on time, and with the ability to hold their lane usually in good shape to get to this favored corner first. Only with the luxury of having great speed, such as that shown time and again by Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, would any step over to the right yield better positioning results.

And while their starts were better than yesterday, Roberto Monti’s Airis (ITA) still struggled a little in the conditions upwind, due in part to not having delivery yet of their new medium-condition sails long overdue by the courier used to send them here from Italy. Last report was one was located and due any moment…

Nonetheless, the slight drop in breeze to 12-14 knots by the final race gave the non-MedCup teams a little better chance, with a good start at the pin on the last race by John Bassadone’s (GBR) Peninsula Petroleum (GBR) putting them among the leaders for the first time in the series. Even in only their second day of GP42 racing, Team Nordic (SWE) is slowly chipping away at the deficits they’ve seen to the pack thusfar in the series.

Windward-leeward course racing will resume tomorrow, with yet another three races planned in a 12-race series starting at 1200 local time.

Puerto Calero GP42 Global Cup
Day 2

1. Roma (ITA, Paolo Cian), 4 2 3 1 2 2= 14 points
2. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP, José María Ponce), 5 5 1 3 1 3= 18 points
3. Caser-Endesa (ESP, uan Luis Páez), 7 4 2 2 3 1= 19 points
4. Turismo Madrid (ESP, José María van der Ploeg), 2 1 4 5 5 4= 21 points
5. Quebramar Xacobeo 2010 (POR, Felipe Regojo), 1 7 5 4 4 5= 26 points
6. Airis (ITA, Roberto Monti),  3 3 6 6 6 6= 30 points
7. Península Petroleum (GBR, John Bassadone), 9(OCS) 6 7 7 7 7= 43 points
8. Nordic Team (SWE, Magnus Olsson), 6 8 8 8 8 8= 36 points

Quotes of the day, visit www.gp42globalcup.com

Paolo Cian (ITA), skipper/helmsman, Roma 2 (ITA):
“Our key today was consistency. We think Caser-Endesa and Puerto Calero are a little faster, especially off the wind, and when they get ahead they are very hard to catch. So we have to have good starts to hold them off.”

Magnus Olsson (SWE), skipper, Team Nordic (SWE):
“Well, we are really having fun, the boats are great, but obviously we have a speed problem. Its only our second day sailing these boats, so we are trying many different things to get going better, but so far no luck. The guys on the other boats are being really helpful at making suggestions and giving us tips and support to help us on our set-up.”

John Bassadone (GBR), owner/driver, Peninsula Petroleum (GBR):
“This is so much fun, these boats are fantastic! We were planning to come here and sail our Comet 41 in the Trofeo Manrique regatta, and were offered the chance to sail Roma 1, and I’m really pleased with our choice. I’m splitting the driving with Inaki, and having a great time.”

Iñaki Castañer (ESP), tactician, Peninsula Petroleum (GBR):
“These boats are really fun. Compared to the TP52’s, they are more active and require both the strength of big boat sailors and the agility of dinghy sailors. When you get a good spinnaker set, you’re off and running.”

However, a light offshore breeze is trickling down the slopes of the volcanoes opposed to this trend, so PRO Peter “Luigi” Reggio is pacing nervously.

On the strong fill of pressure in Race 3, Roberto Monti (ITA), owner/driver of Airis (ITA) said “We got caught a little by that yesterday because we had only a few minutes to decide to tighten our rig for that stronger wind. I think it hurt us a little, but overall we are still happy with the way the boat feels.”

Airis just fitted a new keel to better optimize their upwind and offwind performance.

“I also need a little more room on these short starting lines!”, Monti joked, as the starts have been very competitive scrambles amongst the 8-boat fleet. During most Audi MedCup races the GP42’s had the luxury of lost of line space left over from the previous TP52 starts, but not so here.

After a morning spent recovering from the previous evening’s performances and gracious hospitality extended by the organizers at the stunning Jameos del Agua, the day’s racing started on time at Noon in a very light 6-knot east-southeast breeze. Principal Race Officer, Peter “Luigi” Reggio, laid a modest four-lap 5-mile course in the hopes the breeze would fill to the predicted 7-11 knots.

Trouble started right off the start, as John Bassadone’s Peninsula Petroleum (GBR) and Javier Goizueta’s Caser-Endesa (ESP) did penalty turn, and Bassadone ignored an OCS call to return to restart. The boats that then went left towards the beach to stay out of the current came out ahead, but as the breeze died to as little as 4 knots on the final run it was Goncalo Esteves’ (POR)  Quebramar – Xacobeo 2010 (POR) that repeated what they did to win in yesterday’s practice race: get ahead and extend.

This all changed in Race 2, however, as after a brief delay awaiting for something more solid a very steady easterly managed to fill to 8 and building to 10 knots by the finish. Here the more experienced teams started to shine, with the five Audi MedCup alumnists ending up taking the top five places in this race. It all started when the four black boats in the fleet - Turismo Madrid (ESP), Roma (ITA), Roberto Monti’s (ITA) Airis (ITA), and Peninsula Petroleum – all split left while the remainder of the class split right. Turismo Madrid led the left group across the right group before converging on the top mark, and never looked back despite a strong challenge made by Roma.

With a building breeze on the horizon, Reggio extended the first leg length to 1.4 miles, and just as in the previous race the start was dominated by those that were able to get and stay left. Roma led the charge off the pin end at the start and led the pack back to the right off the shoreline towards the first top mark. With the breeze building now to 14 knots and shifting 15 degrees left, Reggio shifted and lengthened the next lap to give these carbon-fibre speedsters some room to run as their speeds were climbing well up and over 10 knots offwind. Local favorites Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP) got left first out of the bottom gate, allowing them to take the lead while Roma, Caser-Endesa, and Turismo Madrid remained tangled up just metres behind the leader in scenes reminiscent of the year’s previous battles for control in the MedCup.

To the delight of the assembled spectator fleet, the local Canarias team managed to hold off the pack and take their first win, a good recovery from their mediocre 5-5 start to the series.

“Today's races have been completely diferent one from the other, and difficult," said José María van der Ploeg. "I think the key was at the starts. We've been training on that since Cartagena because I think that has been one of our weak points throughout the season, and we are doing it better every time. Philippe has done a great job, he's chosen the right sides. The attitude of the whole crew has been very competitive, and we've done some risky moves and handlings but have won two races. In the last one we could have been second instead of fourth, but Caser and Roma got a puff on the last leg to pass us."

Windward-leeward course racing will resume tomorrow, with another three races planned in a 12-race series starting at 1200 local time.

Puerto Calero GP42 Global Cup
Day 1

1. Turismo Madrid (ESP, José María van der Ploeg), 2 1 4= 7 points
2. Roma (ITA, Paolo Cian), 4 2 3= 9 points
3. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP, José María Ponce), 5 5 1= 11 points
4. Airis (ITA, Roberto Monti),  3 3 6= 12 points
5. Quebramar (POR, Felipe Regojo), 1 7 5= 13 points
...

Quotes of the day:

Pepe Ponce (ESP), skipper of Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP):
“The two first races were in very unstable wind, especially the first one, and we didn't take the right decisions. Being local was of no use, because the wind was really strange. In the last race it settled and then when more stable we could sail as we know we can."

Bosco Fernández (ESP), tactician Caser Endesa (ESP):
“During the first race our timing was really off, and we had to do a penalty turn which left us way far behind and with the wind that we had it was really difficult to move up. In the second race the tactics allowed us to pass boat after boat, and in the third one we've sailed with the kind of wind we are used to and that we like. So with a little wind we can be more consistent."

After a few days of preparation and measuring, today’s practice race was a great opportunity for teams to put themselves to the test in mock battle, especially in the five pre-starts Principal Race Officer, Peter “Luigi” Reggio and his race management team provided for the fleet. In these it was apparent some teams were pushing hard to test themselves and the race committee, most notably Caser-Endesa (ESP) who was called OCS more often than not, though it was Roberto Monti’s Airis (ITA) that got that on their scorecard when it counted in the one practice race of the day.

Conditions for today’s practice racing were perfect for old and new teams alike: a gentle 8-10 knot east-southeast breeze allowed for close maneuvers in the practice starts to test their skills at positioning and timing, and the 1.3-mile legs were long enough to shift gears, play a few shifts, and gauge each other’s speed potential for the upcoming week. Most teams have saved their last new sail slots for use here, but there are also other upgrades: Monti and his team, for example, will be looking closely at how their brand new keel with its longer thinner bulb will be helping enhance their upwind pace.

One team – Team Nordic (SWE) - had to sit out the fun while making a few final tweaks to their new keel installation job on the Cognit-designed Totalboats before launching this afternoon. The team, led by skipper Magnus Olsson (SWE), spent many months here training up prior to the last Volvo Ocean Race.

In theory, the three new teams here would seem to be playing catch-up with the seasoned Audi MedCup teams, but in the lead from nearly the start to the finish was Gonçalo Esteves’ (POR) Quebramar – Xacobeo 2010 (POR), who for a time was being chased hard by another new team, John Basadone’s (GBR) Peninsula Petroleum (GBR). But Audi MedCup runner-up Roma 2 (ITA), led by skipper Paolo Cian (ITA), recovered from a penalty turn at the start to grind down the Gibraltareans on the final run to the finish, not quite in time to catch the local Islas Canarias Puerto Calero team who finished second.

"We did four good starts, the crews were all pretty nervous,” said Felipe Regojo (ESP), helmsman of Quebramar Xacobeo 2010 (ESP), “and several of the boats were over the line, whereas all our starts were clear, which was decisive. We chose the left hand side of the race area, along the coast where we saw more pressure, sailed almost until the layline, and then tacked and crossed with a nice lead. In the run we also chose the coast, which payed off as well. But in the last run the breeze shifted right and so we gybed early to the sea side, and lost some ground to the runner-up.”

The benign conditions today were also perfect for another important feature of today’s racing: each team carried two guest riders on board. These included several Spanish celebrities and TV personalities, with the most photogenic being Estivaliz Pereira, Miss España 2009; Patricia Rodríguez, Miss España 2008; José Manuel Montalvo, Míster España 2009; María José Suárez, Miss España 1999 and prominent TV personality;  actress Lucía Hoyos; and TV personality Carma Chaparro.

If conditions permit, three races will be held tomorrow starting at 1200 local time.

GP42 Global Cup
Oficial Practice Race

1. Quebramar (POR, Felipe Regojo)
2. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP, José María Ponce), 2:11
3. Roma (ITA, Paolo Cian), 2:24
4. Turismo Madrid (ESP, José María van der Ploeg), 2:24
5. Península Petroleum (GBR, John Bassadone), 2:36
...

Today’s practice race will be a mere refresher course for the five MedCup teams, but for three others – Quebramar Xacobeo 2010 (POR), Team Nordic (SWE), and Peninsula Petroleum (GBR) – this will be their first opportunity to line up with their week’s rivals.

Team Nordic is especially eager, since the alumnists from the Ericsson VO70 team have some down from Scandinavia to sail Totalboats, which only this morning was fitted on its new keel. This will be the team’s first foray into GP42 racing.

GP42 Class measurer Jorge Flethes has also been busy weighing and measuring the boats for compliance to the rules, and reports that the Felci-designed Airis (ITA) has also fitted a new keel for this event. Owner Roberto Monti (ITA) will skipper this boat himself for the event, having gotten a taste of this at the last MedCup stage in Cartagena.

The GP42 Global Cup, organised by Puerto Calero and World Sailing Management will take place in Lanzarote.  Eight teams from five countries will take part in the event which is considered to be the World Championship for the GP42 Class.

Three Spanish teams, two Italians, one Portuguese, a Swedish and British team make up the fleet.  The Spanish contingency is led by the 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit champion in the GP42 Series, Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, owned by José Antonio Calero (ESP) and which is skippered by José María Ponce (ESP); Caser Endesa (ESP) owned by Javier Goizueta (ESP), with Juanlu Páez (ESP) at the helm, and Turismo Madrid (ESP) owned by Olympic champion sailor, José María van der Ploeg (ESP).

Two teams sail under the Italy flag; Roma (ITA) owned by Filippo Farufini (ITA) and Airis (ITA) owned by Roberto Monti (ITA).  The Portuguese entry, Quebramar Xacobeo 2010 (POR) owned by Gonçalo Esteves (POR) counts with the Spanish Felipe Regojo (ESP) at the helm.

Finally, two new campaigns make their debut in the GP42 fleet: the British entry, Península Petroleum (GBR) owned by John Bassadone (GBR), with Spanish sailing star Iñaki Castañer (ESP) on board and the Swedish Team Nordic (SWE), helmed by Magnus Olsson (SWE), a person familiar to Puerto Calero as Ericsson 3 Round the World Race helmsman.

The different teams have been training off the Lanzarote coastline today in preparation for the start of the competition.  Tomorrow, Tuesday 13th, the Official Training Race is set to start from 14:00.  Competition starts proper on Wednesday with windward-leeward courses. Racing in the GP42 Global Cup concludes next Saturday.

José María Calero, owner of Islas Canarias Puerto Calero explains today “we have been out trying in approximately 15 knots of breeze and had up to 17 knots.  Since Cartagena we have sailed on another team boat, an RC44, but today we have really found out GP42 in shape.  We are looking forward to competing once again and doing it at home as best we can.”

You can follow the GP42 Global Cup in Puerto Calero through the official website: http://www.gp42globalcup.com

“We had a tremendous event here last year with this class, but are really happy to have attracted new and broader interest among a wider variety of teams,” said Daniel Calero, principal host and organiser of the event. Calero is also owner of one of the nine competing entries, Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, his Botin & Carkeek-designed GP42 which has just come from Cartagena, Spain where he won the overall GP42 Series with just one point to spare in this year’s Audi MedCup Circuit. “While they may not be on new boats, some of these teams are brand-new to the class, so we’re happy they’re showing strong interest to want to come and play.”

Other teams entered to date include Calero’s runner-up rival in the MedCup, Filippo Faruffini’s Farr-designed Roma 2 (ITA), along with four other alumnists from the MedCup GP42 Series: Javier Goizueta’s B&C-designed Caser-Endesa (ESP), Jose Maria van der Ploeg’s B&C-designed Turismo Madrid (ESP), Roberto Monti’s Felci-designed Airis (ITA), and Goncalo Esteves’ B&C-designed Quebramar-Xacobeo 2010 (POR), sailed in the MedCup as Iberdrola. Airis was last year’s winner here at the Trofeo Puerto Calero, and Quebramar-Xacobeo 2010, sailed as Desafio, was the overall season champion in 2008. These MedCup teams would have to be regarded as among the favorites for this year’s Global Cup, having competed not only in the 39-race GP42 Series, but for some the 4-day GP42 Owner-Driver Championship in August in Cascais as well.

But the competitiveness of the class, the hospitality of Puerto Calero and the ideal sailing conditions here has also attracted two confirmed new teams to GP42 racing at this year’s Global Cup. John Bassadone is leading a Gibralter-based team on his Farr-designed Peninsula Petroleum (GBR), ex-Roma 1. This is a first-generation GP42 design, but still has plenty of potential. And the first-ever team from Scandinavia will be making a GP42 class debut: Team Nordic (SWE) will be competing on the Cognit-designed ex-Totalboats with a crew led by Magnus Olsson and the Ericsson team who trained for months here in Puerto Calero while getting ready for last year’s start of the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race.

Two more new teams are scrambling to try to also make the entry list, with their status to be confirmed in a few days’ time.

The format for the event will be practice racing to be held on Tuesday, 13 October, followed by windward/leeward course racing to start on Wednesday, 14 October and resume daily through Saturday, 17 October. The race management team will be led by America’s Cup PRO Peter “Luigi” Reggio, whose team will be challenged in their course-setting duties by the deep water off the island, but experienced from prior years of experience with other high-calibre events held here in Puerto Calero.

For more information on the GP42 Global Cup, visit the event website at www.gp42globalcup.com.

The GP42 Global Cup Puerto Calero will take place between the 13th and 17th of October 2009, consisting of one training and 4 racing days. This event will be the consolidation of the hard working of the class during 2009 and will close an unforgettable year with its participation in the Audi MedCup Circuit.

Puerto Calero, in 2008, organized the TP52 World Championship, was the official training base of the Ericsson Racing Team, Volvo Ocean Race winners, as well as the venue of two of RC44 Championship Tour events. The GP42 Global Cup Puerto Calero is just another bet in top-level sailing events.
 
Daniel Calero, Manager of Club de Mar Puerto Calero, said in Marseille: "We are really happy to organise this championship. We believe in the future of the class. We have a GP42 since the very beginning. Participating with our boat, in the circuits that have been done and offering our regatta in Lanzarote year after year. This year the GP42's are a very important element of the Audi MedCup Circuit and has been a crucial component for the class and its growing giving presence. I'm convinced that next year there will be new projects, thanks to all that".

Paolo Massarini, GP42 Director, commented: “First of all I want to to thank Daniel Calero, his familiy and his team for being part of the GP42 circuit since its beginning. Joining the Audi MedCup gave us very positive results and current situation of the class is a great successful. Daniel grabbed the opportunity the class offered and has done all he could so that the GP42 fleet could be back in Puerto Calero in 2009. I am sure that we will have an outstanding event in Lanzarote. The GP42 Class, Puerto Calero and World Sailing Management will work together in order to develop a successful and unforgettable Global Cup".

Ignacio Triay, Director of World Sailing Management, was also enthusiastic with the deal reached with the GP42 Class and Puerto Calero: "I'm convinced the GP42 is the class with the brightest future. It only needed to compete in events that were on a par with its level of international sailing. Thanks to its participation in the AUDI MedCup circuit and the first "Global Cup", this class will have its final launch. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Calero family for their enthusiasm and unconditional support. Such events, not only are possible, but also guaranteed to be successful".