Rolex TP52 World Championship: ‘Platoon Aviation’ moves up the rankings – a five-way battle for the title?

Things are heating up at the TP52 World Championship on the Costa Smeralda. The top five boats have opened up a ten-point gap between themselves and the ten boats chasing them. Within the top five After six of the ten races, just three points separated the leader, “Alpha Plus”, and Pieter Heerema’s “No Way Back” in fifth place. In between, Harm Müller-Spreer’s “Platoon Aviation” has moved up to third place with two days to go until the end of the world championship.

Click here for the World Cup standings.

With finishes of 2nd and 6th, and the third-best result of the day, Harm Müller-Spreer, tactician Vasco Vascotto, strategist Jordi Calafat and the “Platoon Aviation” crew in a strong position for the remaining two days of racing at the TP52 World Championship. Having already won three world championship titles, the Hamburg-based owner and helmsman can see how the battle is now coming to a head. He is increasingly satisfied with his boat, which has undergone significant modifications over the winter.

Harm Müller-Spreer: “We can win the World Cup title, but…”

​Speaking this evening in Porto Cervo at the TP52 World Championship, Harm Müller-Spreer said: “Our speed is good at the moment, and I feel that the boat is at the peak of its performance, which opens up all sorts of possibilities for us on the course. Of course, we can go on to win the world title from here, but there are five co-favourites neck and neck, all with a chance of victory.”

"We need a bit of luck and we need to stay calm to pull this off." Harm Müller-Spreer

Once again, “Alpha Plus” (Hong Kong) was the best boat of the day, finishing third and securing a race win. The crew have thus given their owner, Shawn Kang, a lovely birthday present at the TP52 World Championship and taken the lead in the highly competitive fleet of 15 TPs from eleven nations. After two disappointing races at the start of the event, when “Alpha Plus” finished twelfth on both occasions, the crew – with tactician Adrian Stead and navigator Ian Moore – have really stepped up their game.

It was above all the successful starts and precisely executed first upwind legs that put “Alpha Plus” in the lead. Project manager Luke Van Der Kamp explained: “For us, it went much the same as yesterday: we kept it simple, stuck to our plan, followed our procedures, avoided risks and worked hard. The boat is fast – we’re fast!”

Light winds, a tough day at the TP52 World Championship

Good speed is also a useful response to the currently rather light winds during this TP52 World Championship week off Sardinia. On Thursday, the teams made the most of winds of nine to eleven knots. The intense rounding of the marks also made it clear that the second half of the competition is underway and the final is drawing near. The the team that had been in the lead the day before, the French “Paprec” He shot himself in the foot on Thursday with a false start and dropped back to fourth place, but is still only three points behind “Alpha Plus”.

Level on points with “Alpha Plus” in second place, following some very solid finishes of fifth and second, was Takashi Okura’s “Sled”. Helmsman Adam Beashel said on the evening of the third day of racing at the TP52 World Championship: “It was a long, difficult day with shifty winds, which the forecast said were supposed to shift to the right but took their time doing so. In the first race, we were a bit surprised by the wind strength on the left-hand side, which made things exciting.”

The “Sled” crew, too, were pleased with their boat ahead of the final sprint at the TP52 World Championship. Beashel said: “The boat is very well trimmed, especially upwind, which allows us to stay in the race when it really counts. But it’s all down to a few centimetres.” Click here for an overview of the teams competing in the TP52 World Championship.

"It’s fantastic – the races are thrilling – but you don’t really have time to look around and enjoy it." Adam Beashel

REPLAY! Click here to watch the replay of Day Three of the TP52 World Championship off Porto Cervo: