Coutts wins and recurs

Russell Coutts and the BMW Oracle Team win everything there is to win at the Traunsee. The AEZ RC44 Sailing Team’s catching up isn’t rewarded in the end.

Today the fleet race was finalized with four further rounds of altogether eight races. The determinations were made with the last meters and were very enthralling.

While James Spitthill, who led the US to a victory in America´s Cup in February, won the eighth round, Coutts and Co. crossed the line as fourth – at the end of the day the points made the difference. In this regard Coutts who was tactician and sport director in America’s Cup and won for the fourth time was ahead with three victories. “It was extremely exciting and was a lot of fun. Winning after the match race and the fleet race determinations is fantastic, the Traunsee is golden ground to us” rejoices Coutts who shared the cockpit with Larry Ellison. The overall standings where the placing for both determinations are added, the New Zealander sent the Dutch No Way Back team to second place, Spithill and the RC44 Challenge team got into third place.

At the start of the series and a little bit behind their expectations the AEZ RC44 Sailing team has improved immensely today. Ahead of everybody and got to fourth place in the seventh round shows class. The final blow didn’t get them a place but proved that they are compatible with the super stars.“We started considerably better today, comments Alfred Pelinka at the final appearance of his team. “ Not everything happened as we wanted, but we will keep this day in good remembrance as the fourth place at the Grand Prix before Gmunden” adds Christian Binder who is going to sail with his team in the next season.

„The class was once more excited and wants to return in 2011. That says everything about the high quality of the RC44 Austria Cup and shows the team’s good work”, says Peter Farbowski excitedly, together with Christian Feichtinger the one pulling the strings in the event.

RC44 Austria Cup Overall
1. BMW Oracle Racing USA Russell Coutts/Larry Ellison 2
2. No Way Back NED Ray Davies/Pieter Heerema 7
3. RC44 Challenge USA James Spithill/John Kostecki 8
10. AEZ RC44 Sailing Team AUT Christian Binder/Rene Mangold 20

Final Score Fleet Race nach 8 Wettfahrten:
1. BMW Oracle Racing USA 28
2. RC44 Challenge USA 28
3. No Way Back NED 39
10. AEZ RC44 Sailing Team AUT 59 (9,8,6,9,7,6,4,10)

Endstand Match Race:
1. BMW Oracle Racing USA 7
2. Team Aqua UAE 7
3. Team Katusha RUSS 6
10. AEZ RC44 Sailing Team AUT 1

Grand Prix der Stadt Gmunden (Long Distance Race):
1. Team Ceeref SLO
4. AEZ RC44 Sailing Team AUT

free picture download: http://www.gepa-pictures.com/download/traunseewoche2010/  

Details: www.rc44.at  
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