Gladiator: Race Ready in Scarlino
"...this is what Tony's companies do the whole time, they get the job done under pressure...there was no way we were going to let the side down"
Tom Wilson - Gladiator Sailing Team Manager.
It was only the second day on the water when the new Gladiator A boat was involved in a spectacular port/starboard collision in Miami, just over eight weeks ago.
The offending boat smashed through the Gladiator's aft quarter causing extensive damage and rippied the wheel from helmsman and team owner Tony Langley's hands, as the starboard pedestal was literally wiped off the deck.
Gladiator A before the collision in Miami
Miraculously there were no serious injuries and 40 hours later the team had re-commissioned the Gladiator B boat to complete this, the second TP52 Super Series event of 2017, the Miami Royal Cup.
However with just weeks before the next Super Series event on the other side of the Atlantic in Scarlino, Italy, team manager Tom Wilson was faced with a dilemma: could the A boat be repaired in time, or should he ship the B boat to Europe and cancel events in Charleston and Newport RI - where injured veterans were scheduled to join the pro-am States-side race crew.
It was a tough call, but engineers from the Persico yard in northern Italy were in the US taking laser measurements within days of the incident to manufacture an entire new section of the boat.
While the boat was being shipped, the new carbon fibre section was being produced and was built in on arrival. With just days remaining the deck gear, rig, keel and all other equipment were fitted and sea trials completed.
The result: Gladiator A race ready for the first of the TP52 Super Series Med events in Scarlino, May 16-21.
Gladiator A: Race Ready in Scarlino
"...it was always going to be a very close call but this is what Tony's companies do the whole time, they get the job done under pressure...there was no way we were going to let the side down" said Tom Wilson - Gladiator Sailing Team Manager.
About Gladiator Sailing Team
In common with all Langley businesses, the group sponsored Gladiator Sailing Team represents the very best technology in its field, attracts highly talented can-do people and conducts itself with the highest standards of integrity.
About Langley Holdings
Langley Holdings plc is a diverse, privately owned engineering and industrial group based in the UK. The group comprises 5 operating divisions, based principally in Germany, France and the United Kingdom, with a substantial presence in the United States and more than 80 subsidiaries worldwide. The operating divisions produce equipment ranging from electrical systems for data centres and machinery for cement and steel plants, to food packaging lines, automotive welding equipment and printing presses. The group was founded in 1975 by the current Chairman and sole shareholder, Tony Langley. With annual revenues of circa $1 billion, Langley Holdings is profitable, entirely debt free and employs around 4,500 people worldwide.
To download the group's latest financial report click here