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Victory
Challenge plan their trips back (11/30/02)
(source
:
americascup.nzoom.com)
|
Victory Challenge have a close relationship with
the Team NZ and commentators speculated the Swedes might
now stay in Auckland to spend some time racing against
the Kiwis.
But head of operations Hugo Stenbeck, the son of the
late Jan Stenbeck, dispelled any such rumours at the
press conference after racing on Friday.
"As far as I know the base team is packing up the equipment
and booking plane tickets," said Stenbeck. "I think
they deserve a vacation and probably the last thing
on their mind is sailing."
For the Swedes, this is only the third Swedish challenge
for the America's Cup in history and the first campaign
for this crew. They have, however, spent numerous hours
training out on the Hauraki Gulf and have impressed
many with their performance and potential.
"Ross Blackman summed it up best when he said watch
out, you're going to catch America's Cup fever, and
I think that might have happened," said Stenbeck. "I'd
like to say yes (we'll be back), but we'll see." |
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Magnus
Holmberg at the helm (11/28/02)
(source
:
Victory)
|
It was announced in the morning briefing: there
will be a change in the afterguard for the fourth match
against Prada. Magnus Holmberg comes in as helmsman
and Harald Blom-Bakke will replace him as strategist.
Victory Challenge are preparing for a match that is
their last chance – for the crew onboard Orm it’s a
case of win or disappear. |
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Secret
work in Swedish boat yard (11/19/02)
(source
:
Victory)
|
Every well-prepared syndicate has a plan for its
continued participation in the Louis Vuitton Cup and
this form of continuous development will be carried
out until the last match has been sailed.
There's full activity in the Swedish boat yard. Work
to make Orm even faster for the next stage of the Louis
Vuitton Cup had already started last night as soon as
the boat had been lifted out of the water.
boat designer German Frers Jr. and sail designer Andrew
Lechte together with boat builders and sail makers must
look forward as well.
All the work being done in the boat yard is aimed at
having Orm ready in time for the "second chance" matches
starting on Saturday - and having all the changes tested
beforehand.
It's harder for the four teams that are left; two losers
in the top half, OneWorld and Prada, and the winners
in the bottom half, Victory Challenge and Team Dennis
Conner, that only have until Saturday to improve their
boats before it's time to race again.
Orm was lifted from the water with the traveller crane
and her mast was lifted off before she was taken into
the boat yard where the top-secret work was started
immediately by the night shift. This work was eventually
taken over by the early morning shift.
"We're making adjustments both above and below the waterline
and we'll be testing new types of sail", says Mats Johansson,
project leader and skipper for Victory Challenge. |
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Victory
Challenge Chooses Le Défi Areva (11/04/02)
(sources
:
Victory
&
Louis
Vuitton)
|
In the lower tier of competitors, the ‘Single-Chance
Group’, the fifth placed Swedish Victory Challenge decided
to take on the French Le Défi team.
"After a fair amount of deliberation we found that the
French would be the best choice", says Hugo Stenbeck.
"It is a very difficult decision, as we are very confident
that everyone has another tool in their belt that will
bring them to the next level."
"That was on the scoreboard. The French haven’t
really shown their potential," clarifies Jesper
Bank. "We just hope that now that they are number
eight they will keep sailing like they’re number eight."
Bank says his team still has room to improve and he’s
counting on finding more speed and realising more of
his team’s potential in the races to come.
"I am sure that we are not even close to the boat’s
full potential yet. Because every once in a while we
get it right, and we just go storming away," he
said. "Other times we get it completely wrong and
it’s a matter of eliminating the times and the reasons
we get it wrong. We are only sailing 50-50 in terms
of sailing right and wrong just now, if can get it up
more around 80 per-cent right...I don’t know what that
would give us in metres around the race course, but
I’d like to find out."
That leaves GBR Challenge to race Team Dennis Conner.
The losing teams from this pair of matches will be eliminated
from further competition, while the winners face the
losers from the top group in the Repechage.
"We have great respect for Stars and Stripes but we
have beaten them once already, so we know we can do
it," said British skipper Ian Walker. "To
eliminate them would be a great achievement but only
the best performance from our team will suffice. This
has the potential to be a seven match thriller!" . |
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Victory
could be the only to change yachts (10/20/02)
(Sources
: Victory
Challenge
& NZ
Herald) |
The Swedes announced yesterday that they would
use their second yacht SWE 73 (Orm) for the round which
starts on Wednesday. Sweden used their first yacht SWE
63 (Orn) to finish seventh in round one with three wins
and five losses.
Victory Challenge spokesman Bert Willborg said the decision
to change yachts was made - in consultation with German
Frers Jr. - after several days of racing SWE 63 against
SWE 73 during the week-long break between rounds.
Last night Victory Challenge were the only team to confirm
a change of yachts.
Team Dennis Conner have spent the break testing USA
77, which sank off Long Island in July, against USA66,
the boat they used in the first round. Whether they
will change will depend on how confident they are with
USA 77 and its newly fitted bow.
Prada have to stick with ITA 74 because their second
yacht, ITA 80, is undergoing hull modifications. The
hull of ITA 74 has also been redeveloped and the yacht
is now sporting a knuckle bow similar to that of most
of the other challengers and Team New Zealand's NZL
60.
Alinghi confirmed at the end of the last round they
would stick with SUI64, stating their second yacht SUI
75 had undergone some changes.
Oracle BMW Racing are believed to have made changes
to USA76, the yacht they used in the first round, which
indicates they will stick with it for round two.
OneWorld were likely to stay with USA 67.
GBR Challenge would not confirm if they were switching
from GBR 70 to GBR 78, while Le Defi Areva and Mascalzone
Latino (the only one-boat campaign) will stay with FRA
69 and ITA 72 - which both needed repairs after suffering
damage in the last day of the first round. |
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