Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre

9:21 PM Wed 5 Aug 2009 GMT

'Fleet - Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre. Photo: Jesus Renedo' Click Here to view large photo

Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre and the IRC has provided few surprises today, as Neville Crichton's 'Alfa Romeo', with Ben Ainslie at the helm, won both windward-leeward races in spite of being slower than yesterday.

In only ten knots of wind the 70 footer did not seem to perform at its best. The biggest class of boats in the 28 Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre started 40 minutes later than planned, due to the light wind. In spite of a very good start, 'Alfa Romeo' wasn?t able to open the usual gap from the rest of the fleet. Adding a fifth but narrow victory, Alfa Romea was followed by Container over the finish line.

It was a good day for Fernando Le?n and Kiko S?nchez Luna's modified TP52 'CAM', which finished fourth the overall after a third and sixth place. The Spanish boat's duel with fellow countrymen Aifos provided some of the best moments of the day. They rounded the first top mark together, but ?CAM? proved faster downwind passing the Spanish Army?s boat. The second race started with around twelve knots, and 'Alfa Romeo' was first again, followed by 'Bellamente' and 'Container', one minute and two minutes later respectively. After a bad start at the centre of the group ,'CAM' couldn't find a clear lane and finished sixth. Nevertheless the Spanish modified TP52 is still fourth, tied with third classified Hap Fauth's Mini Maxi 'Bella Mente'.

It wasn't the day for TP52 'Realstone Matador', considered favourite the Argentinean boat crossed first in the first race but fifth in the second, and was pushed to the second place in the overall standings, now leaded by 'Mutua Madrile?a'. In the first race Vasco Vascotto faced the Judel&Vrolijk design and was ahead till the second beat when Guillermo Parada's crew managed to pass the Chilean boat thanks to a wind shift which favoured the centre of the course. At the back Brib?n and Valars were also match racing in the first race. The Spanish boat skippered by H.R.M. The King of Spain was third at the first top mark rounding, but Valars got inside and passed him staying ahead in the run downwind. The tension between the boats ended with a protest from 'Valars' against 'Brib?n' alleging a bad crossing. The second race was won by the Italians who've had one of their best days this season. The whole fleet started at the pin end of the start line except for Valars who went to the left-hand of the area Alpha, in a race won by Vascotto, where Argentineans ended up fifth, 'due to bad tactics', said the boat's helmsman Guillermo Parada.

In the X-41 class Karhu made a fantastic start on the left-hand side of the area, windward of 'Turismo Madrid' which forced Sideracordis to let him pass, while Lexus went to the right with German Galatea. Javier Bandera's Karhu rounded the first top mark at the head of the group and got away in the first downwind, winning the first race of the day. A very good second start allowed them to get away in the second race, sailing to windward of the rest of the group, but the Estonian 'Lexus' with Matti Sepp at the helm, a sailor with a good track record in match racing, managed to pass them on the second downwind. That pushed the Spaniards to the second place at the finish line, followed by 'Turismo Madrid', in third despite a 360? penalty for touching 'Karhu's' backstay with its spinnaker. In the overall standings the Estonians are first with thirteen points while Italian 'Sideracordis' and 'Karhu' are tied in second with 15.

In the X-35 class Tixelio dominated today, finishing first in both races. Dutch Just4Fun and Italian Giochelotta were second and third respectively in the first race. The second race was tight between Tixelio, Karma and Autoritas, a photo finish saw them first, second and third respectively.

There were no changes in Swan 45 class results, where Gideon Messink's 'No Limits' is holding on to first place after finishing fifth and first in the two races today. 'Yasha' is second in the overall standings and Nico Poons' 'Charisma' is third.

All these classes will run their coastal races tomorrow in the Bravo area.

'Garmin' and 'Vertigo dos' won in the ORC670 and RI classes coastal races respectively. 'Telef?nica' is first in the RI class overall standings, whereas Vindio leads the ROC670 class.