ROLEX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Victory from partnership of equals
Cascais – The 2018 Rolex TP52 World Championship concluded with success for Quantum Racing. It was a decisive victory in many respects; with Quantum Racing leading from the outset of the five-day event. On the rare occasion the American team offered an opportunity to their closest pursuers to close or bridge the points difference, the next race would see the gap widen once more.
The proximity of the secondplaced Azzurra, four points behind, reflects her crew’s dogged determination to take the contest to the very end. All in all, this was a deserved sixth world championship win for a team that places a premium on the pursuit of excellence in the sport of sailing.
Understandably delighted with the result, Quantum Racing’s tactician Terry Hutchinson, the leader of a crew littered with world-class talent, put the win firmly down to preparation and execution of a plan that encompassed all elements of the racing team:
“Last year we sailed a pretty good world championship and things did not roll our way. This year a couple of things did roll for us and, while the differences were very small, the outcome is huge. The best thing about Quantum Racing is that from the shore team, through the sail-program, through everything we do onboard, everyone is committed to the process of winning.”
The 2018 Rolex TP52 World Championship was blessed with sublime racing conditions. Consistent, strong breezes from the north and north-west built each day. Seven windward-leeward races were enhanced by a short coastal course of 12 nautical miles and a longer coastal race of 20nm.
Four different crews won races and three more of the nine competing yachts featured on the podium at least once during the series. Alegre won the battle of the owner drivers, beating Takashi Okura’s Sled by one point after outwitting her in the final race of this fight within a fight.
To stand on the stage at the end of the Rolex TP52 World Championship and receive the rewards for victory – the championship trophy and a Rolex Oyster Perpetual YachtMaster – requires an unremitting desire to succeed, a willingness to pursue perfection in all aspects of yacht-racing. It also requires a fitting opportunity to compete for the ultimate prize: a playing field that is fair and challenging, a host that is gracious and enthusiastic, an organization that is skilled and dedicated, and, a partner that is knowledgeable, respectful and appreciative. In effect, at this level, for the teams to deliver world championship competition, they require those behind the event to deliver a world-class sporting environment.