Quantum Racing win Barcelona and the 2022 Super Series!

Quantum Racing write history with fifth 52 SUPER SERIES title as the world’s leading grand prix monohull circuit celebrates ten years.

With no racing possible due to the absence of wind today, Doug DeVos’s Quantum Racing secured the 52 SUPER SERIES Barcelona Week title – their fourth regatta title of the five events this year – and in so doing conclusively win the 2022 season championship.

As one of the four teams which inaugurated the 52 SUPER SERIES on these same waters in May 2012, theirs is a popular and well deserved 2022 title victory, not least as charismatic owner-driver DeVos is one of the founders of what remains the world’s leading grand prix monohull circuit and steered his team to their regatta wins in Baiona, Scarlino and now Barcelona as well as also taking the Rolex TP52 World Championship in Cascais, the second event of the season.
But while they may have won four from five, each regatta win has gone right to the wire, all going down to the last race of the last day, highlighting how closely matched the 52 SUPER SERIES fleet is now.

With Terry Hutchinson calling tactics on the USA flagged TP52 supported by Argentina’s Olympic bronze medal winner Lucas Calabrese as strategist and Italian Michele Ivaldi as navigator, Quantum Racing win the season championship by 12 points ahead of Hasso and Tina Plattner’s Phoenix after 43 races at five regattas. Harm Müller Spreer’s Platoon take the third spot on the podium.

Steering her first event since February 2020 Tina Plattner and the Phoenix team had sailed themselves to within three points of catching Quantum after a first, second and third on Thursday but on Friday they were over the start line and doubly punished by the light, light winds as they ghosted to tenth, 15 minutes behind race winners Quantum Racing.

Coming after a windy, wavy regatta in Tuscany, Italy earlier in the month the circuit had come to Barcelona to return to its roots and celebrate ten successful years. But the ten boat fleet was starved of wind entirely for two days with no racing and only five races could be completed. Quantum Racing won two of them and ended the regatta two points ahead of Platoon while Ergin Imré’s Provezza took third but only on tie-break with Andy Soriano’s Alegre.

Hutchinson smiled: “You can’t underestimate Doug’s influence on the whole program. How cool is it that we sailed four out of the five regatta with him, we won those, and the one I steered we came fourth. It tells you something about the whole team. We lost Warwick Fleury (mainsail trimmer to a health issue Ed Note) two thirds of the way through the season so Chris Hosking came on board and filled in which was awesome. It’s one of those things in the sport that you race and how we do things, you know when you’re sailing with a good team and you know how it all evolves and how everyone is together and how everyone balances each other. In itself that defines Quantum Racing.”

He added: “Ten years, here we are. It’s an amazing tribute to the owners of this class. Without them this does not exist, how lucky are we as sailors and as professionals to have the support from Hasso Plattner to Doug De Vos, to Harm Muller Spreer – to everybody who has come and supported. You look at teams like Alegre and Andy Soriano and how he’s continue to improve his game over the season. Every regatta he’s knocking on the door and it’s a true testament to the success of this class it’s a testament to the owners.”

Phoenix tactician Tom Slingsby said: “We are happy with second overall. It’s a great result for the team for Phoenix. Quantum was the best team.. We were fortunate to win our first regatta in Puerto Portals amongst that. The best team won the series, the best team won the worlds but we’re happy that we got into second place for the series.”

The end of the 2022 season completes the first ten years of the 52 SUPER SERIES history. Since it started in May 2012, the circuit has attracted 30 teams of 15 nationalities, and contested 51 events at 17 venues in six countries and three continents (Europe, America and Africa). Quantum Racing and Tony Langley’s Gladiator are the only teams to have participated in all ten seasons.

This victory confirms Quantum Racing’s status as the most successful team in the ten-year history of the 52 SUPER SERIES. The 2022 title is their fifth overall crown, after those won in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018, and their trophy cabinet saw the addition of a fourth world championship trophy, alongside those won in 2014, 2016 and 2018. And today it is the fourth time they achieved the double of circuit champion and world champion, in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2022.

Standings 52 SUPER SERIES Barcelona Sailing Week: