M32 Scandinavian Series Battle of Stockholm - Day 1
by M32 Series 9 Sep 2016 11:50 BST
8-10 September 2016
The battle of Stockholm has started with light winds on Riddarfjärden. Series leaders Team GAC Pindar kept their cool during the first day of the M32 Scandinavian Series final and top the leaderboard, five points ahead of Essiq Racing, their strongest contenders for the title.
Essiq Racing had a perfect start with an impressing win in race one. Unfortunately for the Swedes, they couldn't build momentum and finished last in the following race. Instead, it was another young Swedish team, Artemis Youth Racing, that put the peddle to the metal and won their first race in the series.
Ian Williams looks very comfortable racing in Stockholm and started the day as runner up in the first two races. In the third race, his GAC Pindar team managed to squeeze past Essiq Racing at the finish line and then followed it up with another victory in race four. The light and shifty wind increased for the final race of the day where Nicklas Dackhammar took some revenge, winning the start and holding the lead to the finish.
"It's always nice to end the day on top and I think we have sailed really well. We have been first or second at mark one in every race and the only really big mistake we made was in the second race where we lost the lead and ended up last. That could turn out to be crucial but if we continue to make good starts and keep the speed up we have a shot at winning the regatta." said Dackhammar.
The final event of the M32 Scandinavian Series has double points to compete for. That gives Essiq Racing a chance to leapfrog Williams in the overall series if they can finish three places ahead of the British skipper when the event finishes on Saturday. In other words, Essiq Racing can't afford any more disappointing results if Williams continues in the same form.
"Nicklas is sailing really well but we just have to keep plugging away. If we stay among the top teams in each race I think we are going to be in good shape at the end of the regatta," said Williams and continued, "It's been a tough day and we have only really had one good start. We have had to battle our way back again and again and the last race could have been a lot worse but we climbed from last to fifth place."
M32 Series Scandinavia Stockholm takes place on Riddarfjärden in the centre of Stockholm City and the Race Village can be found at Norr Mälarstrand. Racing resumes at 2.00 pm local time tomorrow with the regatta finals on Saturday.
Stockholm Leaderboard:
1. GAC Pindar (GBR) - Ian Williams - 11 pts
2. Essiq Racing Team (SWE) - Nicklas Dackhammar - 16 pts
3. Artemis Youth Racing (SWE) - Rasmus Rosengren - 21 pts
4. Wallén Racing (SWE), Hans Wallén - 21 pts
5. TyphoonX Racing (SWE) - Måns Holmberg - 25 pts
6. Trefor Racing (DEN), Nicolai Sehested - 26 pts
7. Evolveras Racing (SWE), John Bäck - 29 pts
8. Flux Team (SWE) - Johnie Berntsson - 33 pts