Spinnaker Dallara Pics & Info

[mariantic]

Apologies if someone has already posted this - but couldn't see it in a quick check.

Nice pics from Clan Des Team of the Dallara (MG) Judd at LM PQ on the CDT site (also worth a quick browse)

http://www.clandesteam.it/endurance_...a/gallery1.asp

BTW, am I unique (I know I'm unusual ) in following closely both Le Mans and Americas Cup? The entry of Clan Des Team in the latter is causing much interest - they are the ONLY team to have paid the 1 million euro entrance fee so far.

Am I right in assuming the backing for the Dallara (and by inference the yachting team) comes from Rocky Agusta?

Any one any lowdown on this? Spinnaker/CDT are a bit of a mystery in both circles.

Mariantic

[cybersdorf]

Originally posted by mariantic
Am I right in assuming the backing for the Dallara (and by inference the yachting team) comes from Rocky Agusta?

Yes I believe so.

[RobweenerPI]

It was about as fast as a sailboat during the test days too And to think they didn't admit any of the good MK3C's to the race.

[Cadete]

slightly OT, mariantic, but can you put here some link for a place where I can follow the America's Cup? I want to cry over what we here in Portugal let go to Spain...

[FIRE]

Originally posted by Cadete
slightly OT, mariantic, but can you put here some link for a place where I can follow the America's Cup? I want to cry over what we here in Portugal let go to Spain...

Don't cry, your country has the European Championship Football.

The Spinnaker has a boring livery.

[Fab]

But likeable team !

I'm soooo disapointed by their late performances... hope they'll improve 'till june, sincerely...

[FIRE]

Are the people who run the team experienced?

[Try Hard]

Originally posted by mariantic
BTW, am I unique (I know I'm unusual ) in following closely both Le Mans and Americas Cup? The entry of Clan Des Team in the latter is causing much interest - they are the ONLY team to have paid the 1 million euro entrance fee so far.

Not quite, I'm a fairly avid sailor myself (Farr40, Swan45, J109 to name a few), and spent a great deal of time during the last Cup studying any and every technical article about the boats I could find (including many hours on the AC site, and my head stuck in Seahourse and Yachting World magazines). I also watched almost all of the final Cup races on virtual spectator, I will always remeber being captivated when Alinghi rolled over the top of TNZ on the final leg of one race. I was furiously comparing "the Numbers" trying to see if they could pull it off... which they did

Also helps when my brother works in the boat prep business, and comes into contact with a number of current and Ex Cup sailors (he knows a number of the GBR crew, who had some very interesting stories about the other [unraced] team GBR boat from the last cup....)

Interesting to note about them being the only Euro team so far, but I wouldn't worry too much, as GBR I think are lining up to place theirs soon too (from a fairly reliable source, who I happend to be sailing with a couple of weeks back). Also I would have though K-Challenge, Luna-Rossa and the South African guys would have these in soon too

Oh and the car looks good too

[Fab]

Originally posted by FIRE
Are the people who run the team experienced?

Almo Coppelli and Rocky Agusta did the race in the 90'...

Sylvain Boulay is an experienced french professionnal pilot.

[FIRE]

Originally posted by Try Hard
very interesting stories about the other [unraced] team GBR boat from the last cup....)

Was this the Philips sponsored boat?

Originally posted by Fab
Almo Coppelli and Rocky Agusta did the race in the 90'...

Sylvain Boulay is an experienced french professionnal pilot.

I mean more the technical people of the team.

[Try Hard]

Just to be completely remote form sportscars for a sec....

The Phillips boat you mention would be Team Phillips. It was a boat construced for The Race, but unfortuantly lost during a massive storm. . It was also the one that publicly snapped its bow on a sea trial, this was due to a manufacturing fault caused by the extrme nature of the design, however the reason the boat was lost is not the same (another story, not really the place to go into it here, unless one of the mods ok's it)

However this is not the same as an Americas Cup class (IACC) boat. The AC boats are awesome beasts weighing in at about 25 tons, 20 odd tons of that hanging off the bottom of a boat in the keel...
There was a very good article comparing a IACC with an F1 car in a recent issue (april 2004 iirc) of Top Gear Mag, made for some interesting reading, as I can happily relate to both. I think some guys figured out that the sails produce the equivilent of about 300bhp upwind, and near 500bhp donwind.
GBR Challenge was set-up by a guy called Peter Harrison of Chernikeff fame, for the last cup. They have their base in Cowes.
GBR Challenge Website
I recomend having a look at some of the pics, and take not there are no guard rails or anything like that, if you fall over the side (which does happen), you get left behind . I remember seeing some funny footage of that happening, thankfully the guy managed to hold on to a line and hauled himself back on board.

you see you got me started now....

Ed

[cybersdorf]

They must have been going upstream all the way at Monza.

[Fab]

Originally posted by Try Hard
there are no guard rails or anything like that, if you fall over the side (which does happen), you get left behind .

Ed, what about falling over from the Spinnaker in "les Hunaudières" ? Oops !

[Try Hard]

[Cadete]

Originally posted by FIRE
Don't cry, your country has the European Championship Football.

oh great, I'm gonna have the pleasure of watching 22 people running after a ball... I prefer seeing cars or boats going round and round :P

[cybersdorf]

Does the Spinnaker car have to carry life jackets, or tow a dinghi?

[Try Hard]

Dinghy, cybers... Never know might need a liferaft if they start sinking....

And cadette, the cup is a little way off yet, 2007 I believe, but I think all the regukar places would have info for it. I know http://www.americascup.com is up and running, plus up to date.

I'll have a look at virtual spectator again too, it was really good being able to watch the races on the PC of the last cup

[cybersdorf]

Originally posted by Try Hard
Dinghy, cybers...

Thingy!

[Karl Kling]

If we have a rainy race like 2001 - please don't ban me... - their sailng experience might be useful...

[Tim Northcutt]

On the "LM Entry" Thread, Fab reported that a story in "ouest-France" stated that the drivers who have been part of the "Boat People's" team are jumping ship....and allegedly there aren't peoiple standing in line to replace them...

Fab noted that the story said they may not be able to run LM....

[Try Hard]

weren't some of the mechanics supplied by Raffeneli? are these the guys who jumped over board?

[rdjones]

I belive you are right there Ed, I think Raffeneli has leant them to Spinnaker

[Tim Northcutt]

at one point someone said that there were personnel from last year's Durango team involved with this crew....

I don't know much about the "Boat People" at all....

Fab said that it was drivers who bailed out...and his source was ouest-france

I'm not at all familiar with that news source....

[Tim Northcutt]

Sorry about the bad puns...they were unintentional, believe me...

except for the "Boat People"...since they seeme to be refugees from othr operations that don't seem to be racing and they are tied somehow with the Yachting bunch...

[The Badger]

I think some of the team principles were previously "Durango" Team principles and that some of the Rafannelli boys were loaned to help out . I did also hear that some of the Oreca boys were there too ?