Cascais RC44 Cup 2012: GENTLE BREEZE, STRONG ACHIEVEMENT The AEZ RC44 Sailing Team made a good figure with the easy wind and now lays in the Top Ten in Cascais. The fleet of the RC44 Championship Tour 2012 goes from one extreme to another at Cascais. On Friday the wind was up to 27 knots and people and material were challenged to the utmost, but today calmness presided after storm. No more than a gentle breeze with six to eight knots wafted over the bay in Cascais. The AEZ RC44 Sailing Team showed that they can also keep up with the best even in light wind conditions. In the first race of the day, the overall 8th, the crew around helmsman Rene Mangold, tactician Christian Binder and strategist Markus Wieser (GER) sailed steadily in the front of the field and finally landed in 6th Place. Afterwards it was very chaotic. After an all-around recall the RUS7 (RUS) and the Aegir (GBR) had an early start and were disqualified. The AEZ crew kept their nerves once again and stayed continuously in the front. In the end, in a dramatic and extremely tight race, it was enough for a rank of 6th and a 9th Place overall. Before the last race the AEZ RC44 Sailing Team was lacking only nine points to get to No Way Back (NED) in 6th Place - a deficit that lays within reach. Team Katusha stands all alone at the top. It paid off for the Russian team to replace the four-time America's Cup winner Brad Butterworth after the last race with legend Russell Coutts. The Katusha sailed with the brilliant New Zealander into rankings 3, 7, 1, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1 and 4. Overall that gives a thirteen point advantage to the British Team Aqua before the final day. Tomorrow holds the last two races of the program. Afterwards the tour moves to Gmunden, where the RC44 Championship Tour will from May 30 - June 3 make its station for the fifteenth consecutive time. Mangold, Binder and Co will enjoy using their home field advantage on the Traunsee.

Voices: Rene Mangold (Helmsman): "In short: Today was beastly hard. We were not the fastest with the light winds, but we have found a sense of consistency. Anything is possible tomorrow." Markus Wieser (Strategist): "We fought the entire day, but two sixth places are fair enough. We come with the best, even when we're not so fast with the light winds. But we have established ourselves in this world class field." RC44 Championship Tour 2012  Intermediate Standings RC44 Cascais, FLEET RACE (9 Races): 1. Katusha (RUS) 29 2. Team Aqua (GBR) 42 3. Peninsula (GBR) 53 4. CEEREF (SLO) 53 5. Ironbound (USA) 61 6. No Way Back (NED) 64 7. Artemis (SWE) 67 8. Synergy (RUS) 67 9. AEZ RC44 Sailing Team 73 (12,14,5,12,10,4,4,6,6) AEZ Light Alloy Wheels, an essential component of the four-headed ALCAR Family, sets itself apart through innovative quality, the demand for perfection and a maximum on quality insurance. The Top Austrian Company's ever-increasing popularity is not limited to its products for the streets, but is also known for its regatta racing. Aside from the RC44 Team and Markus Wieser, the Youth Olympic sailor Lara Vadlau with foresailor Eva Maria Schimak, as well as Junior World Champion and 49er Ace Thomas Zajac and Thomas Czajka belong to the AEZ Family. www.aez-wheels.com Tour Dates 2012: 8 - 12 February Puerto Calero/ESP 28 March – 1 April Cascais/POR 30 May – 3 June Gmunden/AUT 18 - 22 July Marstrand/SWE 3 - 7 October Weltmeisterschaft, Rovinj/CRO Link: www.rc44.at

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