Itajaì, Brasile- Tutto pronto a Itajaì, in Brasile, per il week end di regate. Oggi alle ore19 italiane è in programma la DHL InPort Race. Guarda qui la diretta streaming, tramite questo player (live dalle 18:45 CET):
A questo punto della regata, con tre, se non quattro team, in lotta per la vittoria finale, ogni punto è importante e Telefónica, Groupama, CAMPER e PUMA certamente lotteranno senza cedere un metro. Abu Dhabi, d’altra parte, vorrà riscattarsi delle delusioni delle tappe lunghe confermando la sua buona forma nelle Inport, in cui vanta già due vittorie. Questo a patto che i lavori siano finiti in tempo per la partenza.
“Lo shore team ha fatto un ottimo lavoro per preparare la barca in anticipo, permettendoci di fare tre giorni di allenamento mentre altri team stanno correndo per essere pronti.” Ha dichiarato il timoniere/ trimmer Xabi Fernández. “Abbiamo migliorato molto e siamo pronti per sabato, sperando di fare una buona regata. Siamo convinti che andare sul podio nelle costiere sia importante ma finora o abbiamo vinto oppure siamo arrivati ultimi. Questa volta ci batteremo davvero per andare sul podio.”
Il team di Abu Dhabi affronta una sfida persino più dura, una corsa contro il tempo per essere pronto per oggi, dopo che la barca è arrivata in Brasile solo giovedì e i lavori da fare alla zona danneggiata sono molto intensi. Lo shore team ha modificato i propri piani per ridurre al minimo i tempi e poter tornare in acqua, dando modo ai velisti di tentare di vincere la loro terza In-port. “Quando abbiamo lanciato il progetto il nostro obiettivo era di salire sul podio, che non era una cosa affatto facile.” Ha detto lo skipper britannico Ian Walker. “Adesso dobbiamo cambiare il nostro target, cercare di vincere più in-port possibili e magari una tappa. Vogliamo davvero regatare domani, le costiere ci riescono bene. Ne abbiamo vinte due e ci divertiamo, perciò stiamo facendo il possibile per essere sulla linea.”
Il percorso della DHL In-Port Race Itajaí è stato, come di consueto, posto molto vicino a terra per permettere ai calorosissimi fan brasiliani di seguire la regata dalle sponde del fiume, malgrado le previsioni meteo parlino di rischio di pioggia e di vento molto leggero.
Intanto ieri a Itajaì si è scolta la cerimonia di premiazione della quinta tappa durante la quale sono stati assegnati anche i premi speciali. Hamish Hooper di CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand si è aggiudicato l’Inmarsat Media Crew Member Award per la seconda volta dopo quello ottenuto nella prima tappa, da Alicante a Città del Capo, battendo la concorrenza di Yann Riou di Groupama 4 e di Amory Ross di PUMA. Una menzione speciale è andata allo spagnolo di Team Telefonica Diego Fructuoso per le incredibili immagini della barca travolta dalle onde, che in pochi giorni hanno fatto il giro del mondo e del web.
I transalpini di Groupama 4 hanno ottenuto il premio per il migliore shore team, per l’incredibile rientro in regata dopo il disalberamento e il terzo posto di tappa, riconosciuto con il DHL Shore Crew Award. L’Abu Dhabi Seamanship Award per le doti marinaresche è invece andato a tutto l’equipaggio di PUMA Mar Mostro per la vittoria nella quinta tappa.
Programma delle regate a Itajaí (ora italiana):
21 aprile: DHL In-Port Race Itajaí – 19:00h (17:00h UTC)
22 aprile: Partenza tappa 6 – 19:00h (17:00h UTC)
Classifica provvisoria Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12:
1. Team Telefónica, 147 punti
2. Groupama sailing team, 127
3. CAMPER con Emirates Team New Zealand, 119
4. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, 113
5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, 55
6. Team Sanya, 25
A Itajaì è arrivato anche Torben Grael, campione in carica della Volvo Ocean Race e detentore del record sulle 24h con quelle strabilianti 596,6 miglia che probabilmente resteranno imbattute in questa edizione. Grael ha parlato della regata in questa intervista:
Have you been following the race so far?
Yes I have been following the race closely. It is special to me and I have lots of friends involved in all areas of the race so it has been fun to watch the action so far.
What are your thoughts on the damage so far in this race?
I think some of the teams have pushed their boat package too hard and maybe have been unlucky, some have been pushing too hard on the water. It’s hard to say from outside the race but it seems to me that some people have been pushing the limits a little too hard.
Do you think the competition is closer than in the last race?
We have three boats that are the same design basically, so of course it is more even this time. Last time, for us, we were so well prepared as a sailing team that it looked like we had a speed advantage, which I don’t believe was the case.
I think by the end of the race you could see that the difference was not that big. Most of the points cushion we built at the beginning of the race was because we were much more prepared than the other teams.
I think this time the teams are equally prepared and three of the boats are very similar and it has been a matter of making the right decisions.
How do you compare the Volvo Ocean Race, Olympics and the America’s Cup?
The Olympics, the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race are all sailing but they are so different from each other. I think the Olympics is the top of the pyramid but the other two are so important for sailing.
I think winning the Volvo Ocean Race and winning the America’s Cup — which I didn’t succeed but I was very close — are the two events that I am very proud to have been able to sail. I am proud to have competed in such different disciplines and been successful.
Were you pleased to see the race return to you home country?
I think the decision to bring the race to a place like Itajaí was very good — very good for the race and very good for the region. It’s a great combination because the race has a big impact and gets more value out of a region like this than a big city like New York or Rio de Janeiro. There are so many other things happening in those cities that the race does not have the same impact as it does in a place like Itajaí.
Is the Volvo Ocean Race something you don’t do again once you have won it? Will we ever see you in the race again?
I like this race, I like the sailing, I really think the sailing is great on this race. It is not because I won the last one that I am not doing this one. It’s just not the kind of race that you do — particularly after winning — unless you are completely prepared and with a team with good structure and good possibilities to well.
To get into the race sometimes you have to compromise — that’s what Brasil 1 was. It was a challenge in all senses but I was fortunate to do that one because I learned so much and it opened the doors for me to get into Ericsson.
To repeat a programme on the level of Ericsson would be very hard today. To do another team, a Brazilian team, or any team for this race you have to do it at a very high level.
There has been a lot of talk about how the race needs to adapt itself for the next edition. What are your thoughts?
I think it would be nice to have around 10 boats. I don’t think you need too many more as it would be too complicated on the stopovers and the infrastructure. I think we have been struggling a little bit on the numbers so I think if we manage to get around 10 boats in the race it would be fantastic.
Costs are always a problem so if we can introduce measures to keep the costs down that is always good. I think the organisation is very aware of that and they are trying to introduce limits and they need to keep on trying to do that.
Are you going to be brave enough to predict who will win this edition of the race?
Of course Telefónica are looking good, but this is just the middle of the race and lots of things can happen. There is a lot of sailing still to do. Just pushing a little too much here and there and a breakdown could mean it’s all open again.
Maybe they are favourites at this stage but they still have a lot to do. For sure they are doing it well so far but I think there is still so far to go that I would not try to predict a winner for the race at this stage.
