2019 Melges 20 European Championship - Day 3
by Melges World League 14 Sep 2019 11:15 BST
11-14 September 2019
The third and penultimate day of the Melges 20 European Championship 2019 ended a few minutes ago on the race course of Fraglia Vela Malcesine and, as expected, the duel between those who are in full fight for the title went on for the whole day: the Italian Brontolo Racing of Filippo Pacinotti and the holder of the continental title the Russian Russian Bogatyrs of Igor Rytov are into the challenge.
A duel that did not spare attacks between the two teams at the head of the fleet. Russian Bogatyrs couldn't start the day in a better way than by winning the fifth race of the program: Brontolo offers a solid defense by responding to the attack of the Russian team with a precious third place.
In the next regatta the roles are reversed, with Pacinotti gaining the fourth place (the bullet carries the signature of Jammin by Gian Marco Mariotti) with Russian Bogatyrs behind him (8th). The pressure begins to reach the guard levels and the two crews start racing never detaching their eyes from each other and it is still Brontolo to guarantee a useful result (9th) with ten positions of advantage over the rival (19th in the regatta won by the connational Path by Anatoly Karakinsky): both of these last partials appear currently as discards for the two above mentioned teams, in a general ranking that still rewards Brontolo, leader with 8 points of margin on Russian Bogatyrs and 17 on the third step of the virtual podium, currently occupied by the other Italian crew, Caipirinha Jr. by Alessandro Agostinelli.
Tomorrow will be the day of truth in the context of a script that will necessarily see the defending champion Russian Bogatyrs attempting to overturn the standings, despite not having wide margins of error given the worse difference in discard compared to Brontolo. The latter will instead have the burden of trying to keep the same level of performance and concentration shown up until now as perhaps the most delicate day of his sailing career. A game still very open and all to play.
In the Corinthian division Siderval of Marco Giannini with today's partials (6,5,12) re-enters the top ten again (9th) digging a very deep groove with respect to the first of the pursuers, Alex Team of Alexander Mikhaylik, now 20th.
Useful links