Dean Barker triumphed among the shadow American Cup teams as his United States outfit won the latest round of the TP52 Super Series in Europe.
Barker’s Quantum Racing, the shadow team for the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic syndicate, won their third regatta out of four at Puerto Portals in Palma.
They now look almost certain to add the series title to their 2018 world championship when the final regatta is sailed in Valencia in mid-September.
Quantum Racing have a 32-point buffer over second-placed Italian boat Azzurra.
Of the other America’s Cup outfits involved in this top monohull circuit, challenger of record Luna Rossa were fifth in Palma and hold the same position on the championship points table.
Peter Burling’s debut in the series didn’t go too well with a disastrous final day leaving his British boat Gladiator bottom-placed.
Team New Zealand’s Ray Davies on American yacht Sled was seventh in Palma to drop to fourth on the points table.
Quantam Racing were a model of consistency. They didn’t win any of the nine races but four seconds helped them edge Azzura by three points.
Barker, who had been at the helm for the previous three regattas, moved to a strategist role with owner Dou DeVos, one of the big money men behind the US America’s Cup challenge, taking the wheel in the owner-driver series.
Quantum Racing had American Magic sailing boss Terry Hutchinson as tactician.
Barker earned high praise for his work as Quantum Racing navigator Ian Moore talked up the communication amongst the classy afterguard.
“Obviously Dean’s a great helmsman but he fits straight into the strategy role,” Moore said.
“Some guys can do both and he’s one of those guys. He talks very easily with Terry, and Terry actually uses him as a bit of a crutch really, it’s good. Dean talks a lot about the pressure and the shift, and you can see if Terry’s worried about something he’ll go: ‘Dean, what do you reckon?’ It’s a very easy communication loop, and it seems to work really well.”
Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES final standings
1. Quantum Racing (USA) (Doug DeVos) (2,4,2,5,2,6,8,2,4) 35 p.
2. Azzurra (ARG/ITA) (Alberto/Pablo Roemmers) (6,5,1,6,4,9,2,4,1) 38 p.
3. Platoon (GER) (Harm Müller-Spreer) (1,10,8,2,7,3,3,3,2) 39 p.
4. Phoenix (RSA) (Hasso/Tina Plattner) (5,3,4,4,3,10,5,5,3) 42 p.
5. Luna Rossa (ITA) (Patrizio Bertelli) (7,2,6,9 penalty 2,1,1,6,8,7) 49 p
6. Provezza (TUR) (Ergin Imre) (4,1,7,10,6,7,10,1,6) 52 p.
7. Sled (USA) (Takashi Okura) (8,9,5,1,10,8,1,6,5) 53 p.
8. Alegre (USA/GBR) (Andy Soriano) (3,6,3,8,8,2,9,10,8) 57 p.
9. Onda (BRA) (Eduardo de Souza Ramos) (9,8,DNF11,3,9,4,4,7,9) 64 p.
10. Gladiator (GBR) (Tony Langley) (10,7,9,7,5,5,7,9,10) 69 p.
2018 52 SUPER SERIES overall standings after four of five regattas:
1. Quantum Racing (USA) (Doug DeVos) 131 p.
2. Azzurra (ARG/ITA) (Alberto and Pablo Roemmers) 163 p.
3. Platoon (GER) (Harm Müller-Spreer) 168 p.
4. Sled (USA) (Takashi Okura) 168 p.
5. Luna Rossa (ITA) (Patrizio Bertelli) 175 p
6. Phoenix (RSA) (Hasso/Tina Plattner) 189 p.
7. Alegre (USA/GBR) (Andy Soriano) 190 p.
8. Provezza (TUR) (Ergin Imre) 215 p.
9. Onda (BRA) (Eduardo de Souza Ramos) 248 p.
10. Gladiator (GBR) (Tony Langley) 287 p.