Quantum Racing are bidding for their fifth 52 SUPER SERIES championship title in the ten year history of the world’s leading grand prix monohull circuit. Winners in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2018 that means that is now four years since the US flagged team has lifted the big prize. They came close last season in Palma, finishing just a point behind the 2021 champions Sled.
There are no changes to the Quantum Racing afterguard this season, Terry Hutchinson well settled now with Argentinian Lucas Calabrese who joined as strategist in 2021 and navigator Michele Ivaldi. Doug DeVos is expected to race ‘at least four of the five regattas this season. Long serving programme leader Ed Reynolds spills the beans.
So you will have Doug racing with you for more regattas than ever before in the one season, that will offer you some good continuity?
“Yes, we are just so excited to be having Doug racing with us much more. He is such a competitor and just loves racing. He has been keeping his hand in at home as well with the Great Lakes fleet. The GL 52s have six to seven boats racing. Doug is such a major advocate for the TP52s.”
So you are one of the Botin teams with the new keel fin, how did that work out at the Valencia training?
“The training was great, the boats we had there helped us all answer some questions we had for this season and I think they all got a good benefit. It allowed us to check off the changes we made to the boat and we are pretty satisfied with that, with the new fin. We think there is a definite gain. It met our expectations but now we need to see that we execute effectively we will wait and see. It was nice that what we expected to happen, happened. And so we feel pretty good.”
You have seen pretty much every different scenario over the years with the 52 SUPER SERIES, what is your feeling about this 2022 season and how it will play out?
“What I love about the 52 SUPER SERIES and what makes it unique is that there are 50 plus races and they all count. Any obsession with winning races does not play well because there is the risk-reward component. We have always, always focused on being in that top three or four, and avoiding the big number. That is the key and I think unique about the sailing world. Fifty plus races, you just have to avoid the big numbers. We had a couple last year. But consistency has always been the hallmark of the Quantum Racing team and I don’t think we are coming in with any different approach. I think what we have been over the years is successful. I think we are getting more defined. Our data gives us more direction and I really love the personnel make up of our team.”
And Quantum Sails are on Vayu and Gladiator too this season?
“Yes. Sharing data and working together is great for us all but as soon as the warning signal goes off we are all enemies. The big focus is always getting the performance up to the certain level for each team and then go out and play the game.”
How important is this first regatta of the season? You have started well before and you have started poorly in Europe before and this, of course is a new venue in Galicia, Baiona.
“I am really excited to be going there. From my home in Michigan it is four connections and 27 hours travelling but it will be worth it I am sure to go to Galicia. For me it will be a new experience to land in Spain and have it green everywhere. But seriously, it is the old sailing adage that you can’t win a season on the first event but you sure can make it very hard to go on from there and win the title. We want to be consistent and straight off the bat to get the best feeling of how we are going. We work hard at the continuous improvement. We have really good technical expertise on the team. Nothing is to rumour, nothing is to opinion, virtually everything that takes place is done with data and I think we have done a really solid job over the years with the data points that more often than not we make pretty good decisions based on our performance.”
