Formula
Windsurfing Portimao Euro-Cup Report by Choppy Water
The Formula Windsurfing Grand Prix Portimao
had a perfect start today: 10 to 17 knots of sideshore
wind transformed Alvor beach into a perfect formula
Arena. In the best possible conditions the maximum of four races was run by
Claudio Alessandrello, the race director from Italy.
The current Formula Windsurfing Worldchampion Steve
Allen (AUS-0, Tabou, Gaastra) from Australia fully dominated the day and
won all four races. After day one he is leading the regatta with the optimum of
3,00 points.
The Argentinean Gonzalo Costa Hoevel
(ARG-3, F2, Neil Pryde) had a bad start into the regatta.
In the first race his mast extension broke so that he was forced to retire from
this race. But than he had a strong come back. With three second places he
managed to work his way up in the ranking race by race to finish in the second
position with a total of 6,00 points at the end of the
first day.
Fabio Melo from Brasil surprised the spectators and experts with his strong
performance. Nobody had the young guy on his list of the favourites but with a
second, a third and two fourth places he drew the attention on himself and
forced the people to modify their opinion. He is currently save in the third
position with a total of 9,00 points.
On the following positions the fight is very close
between Alberto Menegatti (ITA-456, F2, Gaastra) from Italy on the fourth place with a total of
13,00 points, Michal Polanowski (POL-16, Starboard, Gaastra) from Poland on the fifth place with 15,00 points,
Wilhelm Schurmann (BRA-999, Starboard, Neil Pryde)
from Brasil currently sixth with 16,00 points and
Hubert Mokrzycki (POL-25, Starboard, Gaastra) from Poland seventh with 17,00 points. All these
racers are well in striking distance to attack the podium positions tomorrow.
As the racers achieved the maximum of the allowed four
races today and the forecast for the next days is again excellent, the race
crew decided to give the racers some time to recover. Therefore for tomorrow
the Skippers Meeting is set for 12:00 with the first possible start at 13:00.
The forecasts predict even stronger wind then today so the spectators at Alvor beach can again expect a great Formula Windsurfing
show. The Formula Windsurfing Grand Prix Portimao
will last until Saturday, May 5th.
Portimao
continues to provide perfect conditions for the competitors at the Formula
Windsurfing Grand Prix at Alvor beach. With 14 to 22
knots the wind was even a little bit stronger then on the opening day. Together
with waves up to 2 metres and a strong shorebreak
this really pushed the racers to the limit.
First it seamed as if Steve Allen (AUS-0, Tabou, Gaastra)
would be able to continue with his unchallenged domination. But in the second
race of the day he capsized once and opened the chance for his biggest opponent
Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (ARG-3, F2, Neil
Pryde) to score his first victory in this regatta. But in the final race Steve
Allen took over the control again and re-established the usual order with
himself on the top.
After the second day Steve Allen is leading the result
list with the optimum of 5,00 points. Gonzalo Costa Hoevel remains second with 9,00
points. The Brasil newcomer Fabio Melo
(BRA-74, Starboard, Gaastra)
was able to surprise the experts with his performance yesterday. But today he
showed some weaknesses. Nonetheless he is still in the third position. But with
15,00 points and weak discards he can now feel the
breath of his opponents in his neck.
Five other racers have realistic chances for a podium finish after the
second day and seven races done: The Italian Youngster Alberto Menegatti (ITA-456, F2, North Sails) is in the best
position with 18,00 points and a good discard. Wilhelm
Schurmann (BRA-999, Starboard, Neil Pryde) is the
second strong Brasilian in the fleet with currently
22,00 points. Hubert Mokrzycki
(POL-25, Starboard, Gaastra)
from Poland showed some good results today and could have done even better.
With 25,00 points he stays ahead of his landmate Michal Polanowski
(POL-16, Starboard, Gaastra). The local Miguel Martinho (POR-5, Starboard, Neil
Pryde) seams to return to his usual performance after a disappointing opening
day. With 37 points he will have to fight hard to catch the guys ahead of him.
The conditions in Portimao
seem to be too good this year! The organization is facing an unusual luxury
problem as they have to distribute the allowed 15 races over the five
competition days. The forecast for the next days is excellent. Therefore for
tomorrow the Skippers Meeting is again set for 12:00 with the first possible
start at 13:00. The spectators at Alvor beach can
again expect a great Formula Windsurfing show. The Formula Windsurfing Grand
Prix Portimao will last until Saturday, May 5th.
The third day of the Formula Windsurfing Grand Prix Portimao brought again great Formula Racing action to the
beach of Alvor. Today the wind was a little bit
lighter with 10 to 18 knots. Together with the bright sunshine this enabled the
racers to enjoy a perfect competition day. Another three races were run by the
race director Claudio Alessandrello from Italy.
Today the Argentinean Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (ARG-3, F2, Neil Pryde)
launched an attack on the leader Steven Allen (AUS-0, Tabou,
Gaastra) from Australia. And the World Champion
showed some weaknesses: With two victories Gonzalo Costa Hoevel
was able to shorten the distance in the ranking list. Steve Allen had to accept
a second and even a third place. But the hot shot from Argentina was unlucky.
In one of the three races he was forced to retire due to an equipment failure.
This opened the door for another bullet of Steve Allen with which he re-established
his domination in the result list. After the third day and 10 races sailed
Steve Allen is leading with 9,00 points in front of
Gonzalo Costa Hoevel with 14,00 points.
Fabio Melo (BRA-74,
Starboard, Gaastra) from Brasil
can continue to dream of his first podium finish at a major international
Formula Windsurfing Event. After some weaknesses yesterday he improved his
performance from race to race today. In the final race of the day he was even
able to beat the World Champion Steve Allen and scored a second place. A total
of 27,00 points grants him the third place.
Three racers remained with ambitions for a podium
finish on Fabio Melas heals: The Italian Youngster
Alberto Menegatti (ITA-456, F2, North
Sails) is the best European in the strong fleet. With a solid performance and a
total of 34,00 points he is currently fourth. With
Wilhelm Schurmann (BRA-999, Starboard, Neil Pryde)
another racer from south America presents a great performance and is currently
fifth with 35,00 points. Hubert Mokrzycki
(POL-25, Starboard, Gaastra) follows close behind
with 38,00 points on the sixth place.
For tomorrow the forecasts predict again stronger wind
of 20 knots and more. Three more races are planned. The Skippers Meeting is set
for 12:00 with the first possible start at 13:00. The spectators at Alvor beach can again expect a great Formula Windsurfing
show. The Formula Windsurfing Grand Prix Portimao
will last until Saturday, May 5th.
The fourth day was the day of the first decisions at the Formula
Windsurfing Grand Prix Portimao. And the conditions
couldn’t have been better! 12 to 22 knots of side-offshore wind flattened the
sea in the
The first race of the day seemed to be a replay of
yesterday. Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (ARG-3, F2, Neil Pryde) presented a perfect performance and dominated in
front of his biggest opponent the Formula Windsurfing World Champion Steve
Allen (AUS-0, Tabou, Gaastra)
from Australia. The Brasil hotshot Fabio Melo (BRA-74, Starboard, Gaastra) confirmed his ambitions for the podium with
third place. Janis Preiss (LAT-23, F2, North Sails) from Latvia scored his best result in the
regatta and achieved an excellent fourth place in front of the Italian
youngster Alberto Menegatti (ITA-456, F2, North Sails).
But in the next race Steve Allen was again able to
strike back. This time he had Fabio Melo and Alberto Menegatti on his heals. The Dutch Youngster Dennis Little
(NED-13, F2, Maui Sails) finally found his form and
scored a fourth leaving only the fifth place for Gonzalo Costa Hoevel from Argentina.
In the final race of the day Dennis Little
was able to improve his performance even further and scored his first victory
in the regatta. Steve Allen underlined his outstanding performance with a
second place while Fabio Mela scored another third.
Wilhelm Schurmann (BRA-999, Starboard, Neil Pryde),
the second strong racer from Brasil confirmed the
excellent level of Formula Racing in South America with a strong fourth place
in front of Hubert Mokrzycki (POL-25, Starboard, Gaastra) from Poland.
One day before the final day and with 13 of 15 races
sailed the first decisions took place at the Formula Windsurfing Grand Prix Portimao: With the second place in the final race of the
day Steve Allen confirmed his overall victory in the event. Even if he would
not compete in any of the races tomorrow none of the other racers will be able
to beat him in the result list. Gonzalo Costa Hoevel
has to be careful in the final races tomorrow: As he has already two bad discards
due to equipment failure he can only afford one more mistake. Otherwise he
might drop down far in the rankings. But if he finishes in the way he did
before, he should have a good chance to maintain his second place. Fabio Mela cannot drop below his third place but he will raise
the pressure on Gonzalo Costa Hoevel to provoke
mistakes to take the second place. Alberto Menegatti are currently fighting for the fourth place with the option
to move up to a podium finish if Gonzalo Costa Hoevel
runs into trouble. So they will also raise the pressure on the Argentinean
which will make him the “rabbit” on the final day.
For the final day tomorrow a maximum of two races is
possible. According to the forecasts we can await lighter wind again. The
Skippers Meeting is set for 10:00 with the first possible start at 11:00. The
last possible start is 16:00 and the prize giving will take place at 18:00.
Portimao
has experienced a great Formula Windsurfing Grand Prix. With EUR 20.000,00
prize money and ranking points for the Windsurfing Euro-Cup several of the best
racers of the world came to the beach of Alvor. And
neither the competitors nor the spectators and sponsors were disappointed: The
conditions couldn’t have been better. Perfect reliable side-offshore wind
between 10 and 22 knots transformed Portimao into a
Formula Windsurfing paradise. Not less then 13 races were sailed which ensured
a very fair and high quality result.
As current Formula Windsurfing World Champion Steve Allen (AUS-0, Tabou, Gaastra)
entered the Formula Windsurfing Grand Prix Portimao
as favourite. He confirmed his ambitions to be the best Formula Windsurfing
racer in the World and won impressive 8 of the 13 races. He dominated the event
with a total of 12,00 points and rightfully achieves
the first place in the regatta.
Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (ARG-3, F2, Neil Pryde) was a little bit unlucky as he had to retire
from two races due to equipment failure. But in the middle of the regatta he
managed to raise the pressure on the leader Steve Allen with victories in four
races. In the end he achieves a clear second place with a total of 20,00 points.
Fabio Melo (BRA-74, Starboard, Gaastra) was the big surprise of
the event. The young hotshot from Brasil was able to
achieve his first podium finish at an international Formula Windsurfing event.
Out of nowhere Fabio Melo put himself on the third
place with 28,00 points due to his solid performance.
Alberto Menegatti (ITA-456, F2, North Sails) was the best European in the Formula Windsurfing
Grand Prix. With a total of 42,00 points he managed to
defend the fourth place against the second strong rider from Brasil, Wilhelm Schurmann
(BRA-999, Starboard, Neil Pryde) who follows on his heals with 48,00 points. At
the same time Schurmann is the best racers in the FW
Lightweight category (under 75kg).
Hubert Mokrzycki (POL-25,
Starboard, Gaastra, 51,00
points) from Poland missed the top-5 only by five points. His landmate Michal Polanowski
(POL-16, Starboard, Gaastra) follows on his heals
with 65,00 points. Denis Little (NED-13, F2, Maui
Sails) had problems in the beginning of the regatta but he got better and
better to crown his performance with a victory in the final race and an eighth
place with 69,00 points. Janis Preiss
(LAT-23, F2, North Sails) wasn’t consistant enough to
finish further in the front but with 88,00 points he
wins the ninth place in front of the Portuguese local Miguel Martinho (POR-5, Starboard, Neil Pryde).
In the Master category Martin Ervin (EST-202,
Starboard, Neil Pryde) from Estonia is able to win in
front of Andy Abendroth (GER-66, Starboard, LoftSails) from Germany and Ryszard
Pikul (POL-40, Starboard, Gaastra)
from Poland. In the women fleet the new European Champion Agnieska
Pietrasik (POL-19, Starboard, Naish Sails) from Poland dominated over her landmate Jozefina Ruzinska (POL-1381, Starboard, Naish
Sails).
Portimao has presented five days of incredible spectacular Formula action. With
the tremendous conditions on the water and the excellent infrastructure and
organization on the beach the venue in Alvor beach
has left an memorable impression among the competitors
and representatives of the Formula Windsurfing Class. This will be the perfect
base to install Portimao as a fixed date on the
Windsurfing competition calendar and opens the door for major class
Championships.
Here you have the Final Results of the Formula
Windsurfing Grand Prix Portimao:
Euro
Cup Portimao 2007 Final Results Overall
Euro
Cup Portimao 2007 Final Results Light Weight category
Euro Cup Portimao 2007 Final Results
Master
Formula
Windsurfing Euro-Cup Portimao 2007 Bericht von Andy Abendroth GER-66
über Choppy Water