Mean Machine TP52 team launches its 2007 season
by Helena de la Gándara 11 Apr 2007 12:33 BST
The European TP52 season is here again and the Mean Machine TP52 is back in the race. Following a fantastic 2006 season, where the team took a double victory (Corinthian title and overall winners) in the highly competitive Breitling Medcup Circuit, the challenge for Peter de Ridder’s crew is clearly on the table.
The Mean Machine team is diving into the 2007 season with an ambitious and exciting international schedule. Peter de Ridder’s crew will set off on the next European season from the start line of the Hublot Palmavela Trophy in Mallorca, Spain. After that it will be on to the five Breitling Medcup events that will bring the mighty TP52 fleet together in the ports of Alicante, Puerto Portals, Palma de Mallorca, Hyères and Portimao.
The 2007 European season will draw to a grand close on the turquoise waters of the Italian island of Sardinia where the Rolex TP52 Global Championships are due to be held in September.
The team with an afterguard which boasts names such as Ray Davies or Tod Dodson has been putting in some solid groundwork for the coming season. Regattas such as the Miami Acura, which it competed in with the Mean Machine Mumm 30, have been good preparation for the tough competition ahead. The team has also been advancing steadily with its Volvo Ocean Race project, testing load and sails with the Mean Machine VO 70.
The Mean Machine TP52 designed by Rolf Vrojlik will undergo few fundamental structural changes for the new season.
Peter de Ridder describes the small structural changes the boat has undergone in preparation for a successful 2007 season: “We’ve made no changes to the foiles, but we have made some adjustments to the aft of the boat on decklevel in order to fit two more people hiking out at the back of the boat while reaching. Hopefully this will improve our reaching performance”, adding “There have been some small changes to the jib tracks to make trimming the jibs easier and more efficient, but apart from that we’re happy with the boat’s performance”
It looks like the Vrojlik designed TP52 has also set a trend among the fleet. A feature that set them apart from the other boats last season, the fact they had a tiller instead of a wheel, has now become the norm for the new boats joining the ranks of the TP52 fleet for the new European season. “It’s funny to see that of the 9 new boats 7 will have a tiller,” comments De Ridder, “the 60 year old grandad set a trend in 2006!”
One of the key areas that the team has also been focussing on is sail development. Parts of the team have spent much of the winter working with new sail technology. Last year’s success has taught them that sails are crucial in gaining the edge in such a highly competitive and equal class.
Dirk de Ridder, mainsail trimmer on the Mean Machine TP52, comments on the work that’s been done in this area: “We’ve worked very hard on sails this winter. This season we’ll be using all the sails from last year, plus a brand new set of sails, which will be a big step for us. Jon Gundersen and Liam Newman have been working very closely with the sail designers, while Jono Swain and I have been developing the sail area. We’ve shared out all the responsibilities between us: I have been more focussed on developping the mainsail, Jono’s been in charge of the spi area and Gundy (Jon Gundersen) took care of the foresails. We’ve been working throughout with North Sails New Zealand and North Sails Denmark, whilst Liam Newman has been managing the process as a whole.”
A lot of hard work, ahead of a season that will be anything but easy.