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2008 Audi MedCup - Quantum Leaps to Podium

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Boating and Sailing News 21 Sep

Portimão, Portugal - The Audi MedCup circuit is complete, and the racing in Portugal this past week witnessed the victory of the Portugal Cup, and the overall Med Cup, by team Quantum Racing and Terry Hutchinson. Said Hutchinson on his feelings about the win: "It is just over the top. This rivals the feeling we had when we won the Louis Vuitton Cup, it is a great team effort without question. I am incredibly proud of everything that we have done this summer, but now, it is a little bit of a relief."

The 2008 Audi MedCup included 53 races sailed across 6 venues. The fleet of TransPac 52's were sailed by some incredible teams, and the venues were simply spectacular, culminating in the racing off Portimão, where the winds were light, but 8 races were run successfully under end-of-summer skies.

One of the more interesting aspects of this "one-design" competition is that some of the boats in the fleet were older, first-generation yachts, and some brand new. While a new boat took the number one slot and the Cup, Bribón and Matador in second and third overall for the circuit are of older build.

Said Ignasi Triay, Project Manager of Bribón: "We are very happy to finish second with such a high level here in the Audi MedCup; eight new boats on the fleet and our boat being second generation, up against such good crews and a lot of events that weren’t with the kind of conditions our boat best respond to. We were fighting the whole time and are all really pleased with our result."

Third Place overall Matador had a very nice second half in the circuit, finishing second in the last three venues to earn 3rd overall. Skipper-helm Guillermo Parada commented: "We are obviously happy with the third place overall in the circuit but the second place in this Trophy is painful. After being second in the last two regattas we were really wanting to finish the year with a win. Unfortunately I had a bad start in the first race and we didn’t use the opportunities to pass boats well and we just couldn’t get Quantum. But they have sailed very well and intelligently all year, and today they did the same making the most of the opportunities we gave them and they are the very worthy winners."

The 2008 Audi MedCup Circuit

FINAL after 53 races in 6 series

1 QUANTUM 252
2 BRIBON 306.2
3 MATADOR 328
4 ARTEMIS 347
5 PLATOON... 364
6 MUTUA MADRILEÑA 393.4
7 EL DESAFIO 409
8 CxG 456.6
9 Q8 511
10 MEAN MACHINE 631
11 CRISTABELLA 665
12 SYNERGY 749
13 TAU CERAMICA... 787
14 VALARS 803
15 ONO 806
16 BIGAMIST 6 985
17 USA 17 1054
18 RUSAL - SYNERGY 1079
19 VALARS 3 1102
20 CAM-CAJA 1144
21 AIFOS 1208