Steamy battle in Asia: Red Bull defends lead

Red Bull Sailing was able to defend its overall lead in the interim standings on Day 2 of the 2011 Multihull World Series in Singapore with places 3/6/7/9. America’s Cup challenger Emirates Team New Zealand is now just two points behind the Austrian 40-foot multihull led by skipper Roman Hagara. Luna Rossa Prada is in third place.

SINGAPORE – A lull in the winds forced organizers to repeatedly delay the start on Thursday. Once the racing was underway the winds were shifting and conditions were marginal. Red Bull Sailing got off to a strong start with third place in the first race to widen its overall lead in interim standings after their nearest rivals Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and Luna Rossa Prada ended up far behind the leaders.

The subsequent races did not go as well as hoped for the team of Roman Hagara/Hans Peter Steinacher/Craig Monk/Matt Adams. They had to twice fight their way back from behind in the world’s most competitive sailing series after being penalized for jumping the gun. “Everything here depends on your start so that’s why we’re always ready to take a chance,“ said Roman Hagara. “On the one occasion we were way too early and on another occasion we just had bad luck. That makes me all the more happy about the way some smart moves were able to help us move up in both races. Getting 6th and 7th place is really okay considering the circumstances.“ In the last race a sudden lull caused unexpected problems and left Red Bull virtually “parked“ at the second turning point. As tactician Steinacher explained: “That can happen. It happens to the other teams as well. So we actually got off lightly and we’re already focussed on Friday.“


Interim results (after 9 races):
1. Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT),
2. Team Emirates New Zealand,
3. Luna Rossa Prada (ITA),
4. Oman Air (Oman),
5. Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA)  
6. Alinghi (SUI),
7. The Wave Muscat (Oman),
8. GAC Pindar (GBR),
9. The First Club (FRA),
10. Team Tilt (SUI)

Live webcasts of all races are broadcast daily from 2 p.m. at www.extremesailingseries.com

Pictures available for editorial use free of charge.
Credit: S. Koenig / Chili Sports Communication

Information: mario.schoby@redbullextremesailing.com
Team Webpage: www.redbullextremesailing.com
 
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