Alan Kendall’s Beneteau 42.S7 Talon was the best placed CYCA boat when final results from the huge Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta were tallied and tonight he was named overall winner following today’s Final Challenge at Eastern Creek Raceway.
Talon scored two third placings in Saturday’s races for PHS Division 1, and with lack of breeze forcing race officials to abandon most races on Sunday, was declared the eventual winner of its division.
The winning boats from 21 racing categories competed in the Audi Final Challenge today at Eastern Creek Raceway, hosted by Audi’s Motorsport Ambassador and V8 supercar driver, Brad Jones. Each team entered two drivers in the event.
Ultimately, Murray Bridle of Talon recorded the best score, ahead of Greg Peronchick of Revolution and David Sampson of Wild Oats X.
Bridle’s results behind the wheel combined with Kendall’s performance on the helm delivered the Talon crew the regatta’s major prize – an Audi A4 Avant 1.8 Turbo multitronic valued at $70,000 – which was announced at tonight’s prizegiving ceremony.
A second Audi was also given away tonight when one boat name from all those entered in this year’s regatta was drawn. Another CYCA member, Steven David, was lucky enough to walk away with an Audi A3.
The classic 30-square metre boat Scarlett O’Hara, skippered by CYCA member Robert Skol, won the Classic Yacht Division with two firsts and a seventh place on corrected time. She was first to finish in all three races, although the only boat within the time limit for race three on Sunday.
Other CYCA members who did well over the weekend included Peter Campbell (Hornblower), who sailed to a win in race one of PHS Division 4, and Guy Stenning who won race three of the fiercely competitive Sports 30 Division with his Mumm 39 Optimumm to place fourth overall.
The IRC divisions sailed three races in a crowded waterway at The Sound on Saturday but all races yesterday were abandoned.
In IRC Division 3, Howard De Torres won race one and finished second overall with his IMX40 Nips ‘n Tux while in IRC Division 3, CYCA boats Equinox (Anthony Dunn) and Brilliant (Howard Piggott) placed second and third. Piggott, a CYCA director, was the Overall Winner of the 2006 Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta.
Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats X won all three races on Saturday on corrected time in IRC Division 1, winning from CYCA boats Wot Yot (Graeme Wood) and Yendys (Geoff Ross) while Splash Gordon (Stephen Ellis) placed third and AFR Midnight Rambler (Ed Psaltis) fourth in IRC Division 2.
Roger Hickman skippered Limit into third overall in the Sydney 38 Division, just one point behind Easy Tiger (Chris Way) and Transfusion (Guido Belgiorno-Nettis) with first and second decided on a countback.
Doug Sturrock placed fifth in the Classic Yacht Division with Windflyt with a 5-2 score while Bob Ross placed sixth in the J24 Division with Stamped Urgent, placing second in race one.
Full results – www.sydneyharbourregatta.com.au
