Alinghi Red Bull Racing delivered another impressive performance as they secured a podium place at the GC32 World Championship in Lagos, Portugal, despite missing several experienced crew members.
– Competing against nine other teams across 17 races, Alinghi Red Bull Racing were only able to field one boat in Portugal due to numerous team members having America’s Cup commitments.
– The vastly experienced Arnaud Psarofaghis was one of the names forced to miss the competition, with 24-year-old Maxime Bachelin given the chance to be at the helm.
– Bachelin was accompanied by more experienced team-mates in Nicolas Charbonnier, Yves Detrey, Bryan Mettraux and Florian Trüb across four days of highly-competitive racing.
– With unusually choppy water and very light winds, conditions were tough but the crew battled hard and secured third place, finishing behind winners Black Star Sailing Team and second-place K-Challenge Team France.
– Bachelin said: “It wasn’t easy, but we keep learning and this is the most important thing. The races were very close and required a lot of concentration. We’re taking the positive out of it, such as our speed
– The Swiss sailor added: “I’m aware of improvement needed with the starts, and that will be the main focus of the next training sessions. Putting ourselves into difficult situations like we faced this week is good preparation for the America’s Cup.”
– Head coach Nils Frei said: “The final result is positive, it’s always nice to finish on the podium. Putting the crew in competition mode is important to prepare for the bigger challenge we have ahead of us. It’s an opportunity to get the right automatisms and to learn how to work well together.“
– Third place in Lagos was enough to ensure Alinghi Red Bull Racing regained the overall championship lead, with the focus now turning to preparing BoatZero for the exclusive training window of 20 sailing days for new teams entering the 37th America’s Cup.
GC32 World Championship result:
1. Black Star Sailing Team – 45 points
2. K-Challenge Team France – 56
3. Alinghi Red Bull Racing – SUI 8 – 70
2022 GC32 Racing Tour overall standings (after three events)
1. Alinghi Red Bull Racing – SUI 8 – 8
2. Black Star Sailing Team – 9
3. Team Rockwool Racing – 9
