Please select your home edition
Edition
Rooster Women's Wetsuit Range
Product Feature
2000
2000

Quantum Racing powered by American Magic win 2024 52 Super Series title in Valencia

by 52 Super Series 28 Sep 19:07 BST 23-28 September 2024

The 2024 52 SUPER SERIES championship went to the wire once again. After 41 races at five different regattas, contested between April and September, including two at Newport RI in the USA, and from a record sized fleet of 13 boats from nine nations the title has been won by Doug DeVos's Quantum Racing powered by American Magic.

The US team, which represents the New York YC, did enough on the last race of the Valencia 52 SUPER SERIES Royal Cup today to leave the 2023 champions, Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon Aviation to second and to clinch the top overall prize for the world's leading grand prix monohull circuit.

While the Quantum team have won the circuit title five times before, this is the first major success for the initiative which DeVos launched two years ago to provide a pathway into top level grand prix sailing for young American sailors to mentored with the circuit's longtime benchmark campaign which contains several past America's Cup winners.

The young afterguard led by Victor Diaz de Leon has been required to deal with many ups and downs over their two years together, last season having to make personnel changes at each regatta and then in 2024 also integrating three new team members. They may not have won a regatta over these two seasons, having come close many times, but when it counted today in a light breeze on the America's Cup racing waters they came home in fifth, three places behind Platoon Aviation which was enough, just.

Whilst the German flagged team have made an impressive comeback through the second half of the season, after struggling with their raw new build Platoon Aviation at the first regatta in late April in Palma and hitting an object in the early stages of the XS 52 SUPER SERIES Newport Rhode Island Trophy in June which cost them points, they are solid runners up and retain the Royal Cup as winners of this final event of the season.

With young Harry Melges IV away on Youth America's Cup duties with American Magic this week, Morgan Larson was called in to drive Quantum Racing powered by American Magic and was undoubtedly a calm, experienced head making a key difference at the decisive regatta of the season.

Cloud 9

Skipper Diaz de Leon enthused, "We are on cloud 9. I felt very nostalgic coming in. This is a such a great team and a beautiful boat. It is a great team. We are so proud. Personally this is a dream come true. All these sailors in this fleet and on our boat have been my heroes for so long. And to be able to get the win with my team mates on Quantum Racing powered by American Magic it is a dream, a dream come true."

Long time Quantum coach James Lyne added, "As usual the 52 SUPER SERIES comes down to the last leg of the last race and there is just the one point in it but this time we got it done and sailed a good last race when we needed to. The team is happy. It is a great year for us in the end. And it means a lot to the young guys on board to win one of sailing's top prizes, the 52 SUPER SERIES, and these guys and girls are going to go on to great things I am sure."

Platoon Aviation's tactician Vasco Vascotto commented, "There were so many points that we lost over the season that make a difference now. Of course I think of hitting that object in Newport which cost us 10 points or so straight off. But it is a long season and everyone in this fleet can look back at the points they lost everywhere. We are happy. We won this event, we won the Royal Cup. We were a little unlucky in this race to have missed Provezza in the mix. But I think we should be proud of what we did. We recovered something like 30 points in the last couple of regattas and here and that is great for our future."

Gladiator third

Britain's Tony Langley and his Gladiator team came into this Valencia finale with an 18 points lead over their American rivals, but the shifty offshore winds proved to be something of a weakness for a team which have been otherwise outstanding this season, winning the Rolex TP52 World Championship in Newport in July and taking victory at the Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week last month as well as finishing second by two points at that first Newport RI regatta in June. Gladiator take third overall, five points behind the champions Quantum.

Guille Parada helm on Gladiator reflected, "I think that we did not have a good week. We did not sail well and we all sailed below our possibilities at the wrong time in the wrong place. So it was a little unfortunate for us, it showed a little our weakness that we have in certain conditions. I am a little disappointed but we need to take a little bit of hindsight and see what we have achieved. We were second at the first event in Newport, we won the Rolex TP52 World Championship, we won in Puerto Portals so I think overall it has been a step forward from last year> We leave with good lessons and hopefully we can put the good learnings together and come back stronger in 2025."

In the Royal Cup Platoon Aviation triumph ahead of Provezza which was unfortunately involved in a start line collision which forced them to retire from the race. The regatta leaders were given average points and finish second just ahead of Hasso and Tina Plattner's Phoenix which won the first race of the event and, today, the last.

Valencia 52 Super Series Royal Cup Final Standings:

1. PLATOON AVIATION (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 8+1+2+4+7+4+2 = 28pts
2. PROVEZZA (TUR), Ergin Imre, 4+2+1+1+10+7+6 = 31pts
3. PHOENIX (RSA), Hasso & Tina Plattner, 1+11+5+7+6+6+1 = 37pts
4. CRIOULA (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 6+8+10+2+2+1+10 = 39pts
5. PAPREC (FRA), Jean-Luc Pethuguenin, 9+3+7+3+13+5+5+6 = 46pts
6. QUANTUM RACING POWERED BY AMERICAN MAGIC (USA), Doug DeVos, 11+6+9+5+9+2+5 = 47pts
7. INTERLODGE (USA), Austin & Gwen Fragomen, 7+9+3+8+8+8+4 = 47pts
8. TEASING MACHINE (FRA), Eric De Turckheim, 3+13+4+12+3+3+11 = 49pts
9. ALEGRE (GBR), Andy Soriano, 2+5+13+10+4+11+9 = 54pts
10. SLED (USA), Takashi Okura, 13+7+8+13+1+12+3 = 57pts
11. VAYU (THA), Whitcraft FAMILY, 5+12+11+6+5+13+7 = 59pts
12. GLADIATOR (GBR), Tony Langley, 12+4+6+9+12+9+8 = 60pts
13. ALPHA+ (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 10+10+12+11+11+10+14(+4) = 82pts

2024 52 Super Series Final Standings:

1. QUANTUM RACING POWERED BY AMERICAN MAGIC (USA), Doug DeVos, 27+36+52+45+47 = 207pts
2. PLATOON AVIATION (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 45+47+48+40+28 = 208pts
3. GLADIATOR (GBR), Tony Langley, 37+35+40+40+60 = 212pts
4. SLED (USA), Takashi Okura, 33+42+46+67+57 = 245pts
5. ALEGRE (GBR), Andy Soriano, 37+44+51+66+54 = 252pts
6. INTERLODGE (USA), Austin & Gwen Fragomen, 32+49+73+65+47 = 266pts
7. PAPREC (FRA), Jean-Luc Pethuguenin, 49+51+62+63+46 = 271pts
8. PHOENIX (RSA), Hasso & Tina Plattner, 77+46+65+58+37 = 283pts
9. VAYU (THA), Whitcraft FAMILY, 51+33+65+80+59 = 288pts
10. ALPHA+ (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 51+58+50+69+82 = 310pts
11. PROVEZZA (TUR), Ergin Imre, 25+88+110+71+33 = 327pts
12. CRIOULA (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 77+88+110+70+39 = 384pts
13. TEASING MACHINE (FRA), Eric De Turckheim, 77+88+110+89+49 = 413pts

Related Articles

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2024 | TP & Cape31
Gold Medallists Will Ryan and Tom Burton on the delights of St Tropez on a TP52 Gold Medallists Will Ryan and Tom Burton on the delights of St Tropez on a TP52, and Michael Wilson on the storming Cape 31 Class Posted on 6 Oct
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Day 8
25 years in the sunshine, an anniversary vintage worth savouring! The magic of Les Voiles was in full force once again for this epic 25th anniversary edition. Boasting weather conditions perfectly tailored to the 250 boats invited to be a part of this grand festival of racing by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez. Posted on 6 Oct
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Day 7
Passion colours the epilogue In Saint Tropez today, the 250 boats out on the racetrack wrote the final chapter of this wonderful 2024 epic of Les Voiles, a fitting title for which might well be '135 years of naval architecture.' Posted on 5 Oct
Valencia 52 Super Series Royal Cup day 4
Super close three cornered title fight for 2024 52 Super Series circuit title set for Saturday After three races contested in very varied offshore wind conditions on the waters off Valencia's famous Malvarrosa Beach three teams go into the final day shoot out for the 2024 circuit title with just four points separating first and third. Posted on 27 Sep
Valencia 52 Super Series Royal Cup day 3
No racing due to big winds in Valencia, Gladiator's title winning chances increase With three races planned for today and forecasts aligning with all major models which predicted winds around 20kts there was considerable disappointment in the Marina of Valencia when competition could not take place. Posted on 26 Sep
Valencia 52 Super Series Royal Cup day 2
Provezza enhance their challenge with race win but Platoon Aviation build late title charge Provezza enhance their Royal Cup challenge with race win but uber consistent Platoon Aviation build their late title charge. Posted on 25 Sep
Valencia 52 Super Series Royal Cup day 1
Provezza on point with early lead Ergin Imre's team with their newly launched Provezza lead the Valencia 52 SUPER SERIES Royal Cup after the first two races of the final event of the 2024 season were sailed in a testing, shifty light to moderate offshore SW'ly wind. Posted on 24 Sep
Valencia 52 SUPER SERIES Royal Cup Practice Day
Today proved how close and competitive the decisive final regatta is going to be Two official practice races today proved how close and competitive the decisive final regatta of the 2024 52 SUPER SERIES season, the Valencia 52 SUPER SERIES Royal Cup is going to be. Posted on 23 Sep
Momentum favours Gladiator's final charge
Towards this year's 52 SUPER SERIES title After winning the last two regattas, including the Rolex TP52 World Championship title in Newport in July, Tony Langley's Gladiator crew head into the final event of the season carrying an eight point lead. Posted on 19 Sep
Elevate Your Racing Experience with Premier Yachts
Race Yachts Brokerage features some of the most distinguished vessels on the market Race Yachts are thrilled to present our latest premium offerings in high-performance race yachts, available now through Race Yachts Brokerage. Our collection features some of the most distinguished vessels on the market. Posted on 3 Sep