As if to add to the pressure cooker atmosphere already prevailing as the top two boats as they set out for the final day of the Copa del Rey on the Bay of Palma, today’s temperatures are set to be the hottest of the summer so far in Mallorca.
Battle tested Quantum Racing, 2013 52 SUPER SERIES champions and winners of the Copa del Rey last year are up against Niklas Zennstrom’s Rán Racing who have been the stronger through the second part of the regatta. Rán Racing have scored only eight points over the last five races to Quantum Racing’s 15. So the momentum is with the Swedish flagged team, but the experience and hard galvanised global successes are with Quantum Racing which has at its heart many of the America’s Cup winning Alinghi crew.
With a three points lead the likelihood is that that two teams will try and sail their own races but for sure if it gets closer than it is this morning, a match race for the King’s Cup may be on the cards.
Quantum Racing’s project manager Ed Reynolds said this morning:
The briefing this morning was really just to come out and sail the first race the very best that we can and see where we end up and the second race if we have to be a little more proactive than the first race then may be our strategy at that point, but we are going to try and win in both races. It is a very big day. The King’s Cup is on the line, we started out really strong but each these events ends up like this with just a few points separating the top boats. The guys are ready for this, they are pretty battle tested with this kind of thing. I think they are ready.
Ed Reynolds, Quantum Racing
