Matador looking good for Copa del Rey win

As Ran regains IRC A lead at the Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre

Alberto Roemmers' TP52 Matador is likely to win the Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre after clearly overcoming her main competition in Bribón. However Bribón, skippered by Gonzalo Araújo, will have to fight to keep second place in IRC B as she is under threat from John Cook's Cristabella, which had a great performance today on the Bay of Palma. Ran has also bounced back to top of the leaderboard in IRC A, pushing Alegre into second position, whereas Rats on fire, Tanit Medilevel, and Iberostar enjoy unchallenged leads after their performances today. In the X-35 class, Lelagain is back on the top of the leaderboard going into the final day of the Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre, when the committee expects to run two races.

Today's good conditions allowed PRO Gaspar Morey to run three races in for the handicap classes, thus recovering the race which couldn't couldn't be held on Tuesday. In 14-18 knots of wind the 72 footer Ran belonging to Nikklas Zennstrom was the best scoring crew among the largest boats in the fleet. The Judel & Vrolijk design managed to control the racing from beginning to end to climb back to the top of IRC A where she holds a four point lead over Alegre and Container, tied on points in the second place. Bella Mente is fourth 12 points behind which seems difficult to close with just one day of racing to go.

In IRC B the battle started early today, since Matador's tactic was attacking Bribón from the start. The Argentinean boat benefitted from Rod Dawson calling tactics on board Cristabella, which scored two bullets and one third place today propelling her up the results table, putting her into contention for second place which previously seemed reserved for Jose Cusi's TP52 until today.

The Argentineans and Spaniards held their own match race, which went to Guillermo Parada's crew. Matador, which is slower than Bribón upwind, made good gains downwind. Despite winning just one race today, the third one, she has a comfortable lead going into tomorrow's final day. CAM sailed by the Prince of Asturias is no longer able to claim a place in the podium, after her sixth place in the second race, due to problems with her genoa which got her buried into the reminder of the pack. Matador is now seven points clear of second placed Bribón. Two sailors born in Galicia, Gonzalo Araújo and Bermúdez de Castro, will fight for second place tomorrow.

In RI 1, Rafael Carbonell's Rats on Fire has vaulted into an unchallenged lead going into the final day of the Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre. Today's three bullets, four if yesterday's win is also included, have a lot to do with it. The Catalan Swan 45, which has J/80 world champion Rayco Tabares calling tactics, benefitted from an OCS of Alex y Rubio Rumbo, which didn't complete a penalty turn despite having been notified by the race committee, lost her chances of winning. Itaca IX of Manuel Gallego is in third place, but has no chance of winning in her division after a 16th place finish in the second race.

Tanit Medilevel, steered by Nacho Campos, sees her chances of becoming the winner grow after today's two bullets, and Movistar scored her worst score thus remaining 6.5 behind Tanit Medilevel. The JV-37 from Galicia won the second race, and took advantage of the discard to reduce her deficit to just 2.5 points, and crossed the finish line first in the last race too, but couldn't win on corrected.

Tomorrow all the classes will sail two races except for the X-41 class. The time limit for the start is 15:00. After the traditional winners' dip in the swimming pool at the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the prize giving ceremony will take place at 21:00 in the Gardens of Ses Voltes, next to the Cathedral, in the presence of the King of Spain.