2017 season finishes on a high in Menorca
Gladiator neck and neck with Azzurra going into the final day
There was nothing in it between first and second place on the final day of the final act of the TP52 Super Series 2017, played out off the Mediterranean island of Menorca (September 19-23) as the Gladiator team went into the last day of racing of the regatta and the 2017 season on equal points with season leaders, Azzurra.
But the wind gods decided there would be no final reckoning on the water between Tony Langley's Gladiator and the Azzurra team of Argentinian pharmaceuticals magnate, Pablo Roemmers.
The 11 boat fleet went out on the final day and waited several hours for the light breeze to stabilise, but it wasn't to be and racing was finally abandoned at 14:45.
Azzurra were crowned champions for the season and took first place over Gladiator on count back in the final Regatta.
Had the event allowed for a discard after six races, as is common in other sailing events, the Gladiator team would have secured victory by one point.
But in the TP52 Super Series there is no discard allowed. Teams score points for the position finished in each race of a regatta: one point for first place, two points for second place and so on. The boat with the lowest total wins. In the event of a tie, the make up of the points is looked at and the boat with the lowest individual score takes it.
The teams tied on 22 points each, Azzurra scoring 1,4,6,3,6,2 over the six races and Gladiator 2,3,7,4,2,4.
It was though, the Gladiator team's best result so far in six years of competing in this, the world's foremost monohull sailing circuit.
Tony Langley, who has driven the Gladiator since 2012:
"For sure we were all disappointed with not having the chance to close this one out, but it was a great performance by the team nonetheless"
Back on shore there was much talk about the next Americas Cup. It is widely rumoured that the Kiwis, who won the 35th Americas Cup in Bermuda this summer, will announce that the 36th Cup to be held in Auckland in 2021, will be contested on monohull boats and not the foiling catamarans of the the last two contests. An announcement is expected from Emirates Team New Zealand on 28 September.
The Gladiator team went into the last day of racing on equal points with season leaders, Azzurra.
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.