ASHBY HELPS TEAM TILT TO GC32 VICTORY
Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Glenn Ashby has helped Swiss Team Tilt to won the second stage of the GC32 Racing Tour in Malcesine on Lake Garda in Italy this weekend by just one point over closest rival Norauto (Franck Cammas). Gunvor Sailing completed the podium in third place.
Ashby plays the dual role of coach and mainsail trimmer for the young Swiss team, who are taking his experience and advise with open arms and the results already are clear to see.
Conditions proved challenging for the 10-strong foiling fleet with just nine races completed over the course of Thursday and Friday. There was no racing on Saturday or Sunday.
“To finish ahead of these big teams is a really good result for us!” said Glenn Ashby. “The team manages the boat very well; their Decision 35 experience really paid off here. We used the gennaker a lot more in Malcesine than Riva creating a lot more work for all the teams which went well for us. We improved our starts after Thursday and tactically we were strong – all of this added up to a victory this weekend!”
Team Tilt Skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis added his insight: “We fought hard against Norauto during the first two days of the event and were more aggressive than Franck Cammas and his team with our strategic decisions. We managed to control them during the final race on Friday which allowed us to win a few points and finish ahead! It is very positive that Team Tilt was able to perform so well with two new crew members on board and very little time to train with the new configuration.”
With a second place at the opening event of the GC32 Racing Tour in Riva at the end of May and a first place in Malcesine, Team Tilt is on top form. The squad will continue to integrate youth sailors on the foiling catamaran at the next event in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, from the 3-6 August and will hope for continued good performance.
In the meantime Ashby is on his way home for six days on the ground in Auckland, before boarding an Emirates plane again to head north to England for the next Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series event in Portsmouth where Emirates Team New Zealand currently lead overall.
Results – GC32 Racing Tour – Malcesine
1 Team Tilt 18 1 3 5 1 2 1 1 2 2
2 NORAUTO 19 3 1 1 3 1 2 2 5 1
3 Gunvor Sailing 32 2 2 4 5 7 3 4 1 4
4 Argo 40 6 4 2 2 4 5 7 4 6
5 Malizia – Yacht Club de Monaco 46 4 5 7 4 3 9 6 3 5
6 ARMIN STROM Sailing Team 60 5 7 6 10 10 8 3 8 3
7 Mamma Aiuto! 64 10 8 3 7 7 7 8 6 8
8 Team ENGIE 65 9 9 9 6 5 4 5 7 DNF
9 Realteam 78 8 6 10 9 9 6 10 9 DNF
10 Orange Racing 79 7 10 8 8 10 10 9 10 7