52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Cup Day 2 - Gladiator back on winning form
by 52 Super Series 1 May 19:26 BST
29 April - 4 May 2025
52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Cup Day 2 © Nico Martinez / 52 Super Series
Disappointed to miss out on winning the 2024 circuit title after coming into the last event of the season in Valencia with a solid points lead, Tony Langley's world champions Gladiator crew started their assault on the 2025 title on the best possible footing as the 52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Sailing Week opened with two excellent races on the Gulf of Saint Tropez.
In beautiful Spring sunshine with flat water and winds between eight and 13kts, the sparkling conditions compensated for the absence of wind Wednesday when racing was due to start, Gladiator won the first race and then followed up with a good second behind Shawn and Tina Kang's Alpha +.
The Hong Kong flagged team which joined the circuit only two years ago here in Saint-Tropez went 5-1 today to make their best ever start to a regatta, lying second only three points behind the British team. Winners here in 2023 Ergin Imre's highly fancied Provezza team put themselves on he back foot when they were disqualified from Race 1 after being over the start line. After two successive start attempts resulted in General Recalls - highlighting how close the fleet is and how important a good start is, Provezza had to watch the race unfold from the sideline.
In the SSW'ly breeze the race course seemed to deliver a consistent gain to the right of the upwind. With Guille Parada now calling tactics supported this season by America's Cup winning coach Ray Davies and the owner Langley reverting to his preferred role on the helm, Gladiator started well on the first race and were able to lead all the way around the windward-leeward circuit. On the second contest they were able to, again, get right early to chase Alpha + round the track.
With young Kiwi match racer Nick Egnot Johnson on the helm this season and 2016 Laser gold medallist, Australian Tom Burton calling tactics and the hugely experienced Ian Moore navigating, Alpha + held off Gladiator to take first gun. Added to their fifth in the first contest they lead third placed Sled - which has Murray Jones steering - and the French boat Paprec of Jean Luc Petithuguenin by one point
Langley was pleased with his team's start, "We sailed six days in Valencia and four days here already so we felt pretty confident going into today. We stuck to the process, trusted the process. Guille (Parada) is naturally a driver but he is a very good tactician too and we saw that today."
Kiwi Ray Davies, the strategist on Gladiator who first won the MedCup in 2006 with Peter DeRidder's Mean Machine, is delighted to be back in the fleet: "It was an awesome day, dead flat water nine to 13kts, bit of a one way track to the right and so it was all on on the starts trying to get away clean and heading out to the right. There is a lot of pressure stepping on board, all the teams are at such a high level so there is no trouble with the crew work and the boatspeed and as an afterguard we are working to get better all the time. Tony is back steering and did a fantastic job today. But the fleet level is so high we know we can't maintain this level every day but it was a very special way to start, 1,2. Guille is so talented he knows these boats so very well, he understands their performance. And so we have to keep thinking ahead on the course so we don't have any surprises."
Alpha + tactician Tom Burton, 2016 Rio Olympic gold medal winner in the Laser said. "We have won a few races here and there over our career in the 52 SUPER SERIES so far but to win one on the first day here in Saint Tropez is not a bad way to start the season. But there is a long way to go of course, it is a nice way. We are chipping away and slowly getting better with more experience. We have a couple of new changes on board this season, but myself getting more experience, getting more and more comfortable in the fleet, the racing is so tight as situations develop more and more and you become more familiar with them, we are in the mix and we can fight with the big boys when we put it all together."
The intention is to sail three races tomorrow Friday, first start 1300hrs CET.
52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Cup after Day 2: (two races)
1.- GLADIATOR (GBR), Tony Langley, 1+2 = 3pts
2.- ALPHA+ (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 5+1 = 6pts
3.- SLED (USA), Takashi Okura, 4+3 = 7pts
4.- PAPREC (FRA), Jean-Luc Pethuguenin, 3+4 = 7pts
5.- VAYU (THA), Whitcraft Family, 6+5 = 11pts
6.- AMERICAN MAGIC QUANTUM RACING (USA), Doug DeVos, 2+10 = 12pts
7.- PLATOON AVIATION (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 7+8 = 15pts
8.- ALEGRE (GBR), Andy Soriano, 10+6 = 16pts
9.- CRIOULA (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 8+9 = 17pts
10.- PROVEZZA (TUR), Ergin Imre, UFD (12)+7 = 19pts
11.- ALKEDO (ITA), Andrea Lacorte, 9+11 = 20pts