The penultimate race day is usually one to make the difference as to whether there is still a shot at the podium or not. Although with 3 races still to go on Wednesday, there is still plenty of opportunity for shuffles in the standings.

Back to back race wins for Seb Menzies/Blake McGlashan (NZL) consolidated their leaderboard position further in the 420 Open, whilst huge disappointment for France’s Clara Olive/Solenza Mariani as they bucked their form with two penalty scores from the 3 races plummeting the partnership from series leaders to 7th overall. They have now given themselves a mountain to climb on the final day.

The race schedule for Wednesday 15 August features 3 races for all fleets, kicking off with 420 Open Gold, then Silver, Women and U17, with the first warning signal at 1155 hours. Follow updates via the Live Race and you can download the Championship APP.

The Francis Mouvet Trophy is also a battle to be fought over, based on the combined scores of each nation’s highest three placed boats across the 420 Open, Women and U17. Right now, Spain is looking strong.

420 WOMEN
A gruelling day for Clara Olive/Solenza Mariani who racked up two penalty scores, a BFD and a DSQ, and their 2nd place finish in the final race of the day could not make up for their disappointment. The pair now sits 43 points off the lead they held at the start of the day, and will need some aggressive race track form to sail safe and at the front of the fleet to secure a podium outcome.

With the French knocked off top spot, Patricia Reino Cacho/Isabel Laiseca Bueno (ESP) move back up from a scorecard of 9,11,6, and hold a 15 point advantage over 2nd placed Maria Bover Guerrero/Catalina Homar Estarellas (ESP).

Moving up three places from their 6th place standing at the start of the day, to 3rd at the end, go the USA’s Michelle Lahrkamp/Gabriella Del Bello, helped by winning race 9. Team mates Payton Thompson/Victoria Thompson (USA) seized their first win of the Championship in race 5 and escalate themselves to 6th overall.

420 Women - Top 10 after 9 Races
1. Patricia REINO CACHO/Isabel LAISECA BUENO (ESP 56490) - 39 pts
2. María BOVER GUERRERO/Catalina HOMAR ESTARELLAS (ESP 56488) - 54 pts
3. Michelle LAHRKAMP/Gabriella DEL BELLO (USA 56079) - 59 pts
4. Laura AKRICH VAZQUEZ/Clara LLABRÉS RIVAL (ESP 56260) - 66 pts
5. María CABA HERNÁNDEZ/Pilar CABA HERNÁNDEZ (ESP 56575) - 67 pts
6. Payton THOMPSON/Victoria THOMPSON (USA 55172) - 69 pts
7. Clara OLIVE/Solenza MARIANI (FRA 56376) - 82 pts
8. Giulietta Carolina LANG BÜCHNER/Tess PROVENZAL KOK (ESP 56283) - 86 pts
9. Carmen COWLES/Emma COWLES (USA 56365) - 92 pts
10. Deike BORNEMANN/Kim FERNHOLZ (GER 54988) - 95 pts

420 OPEN
Kiwis Seb Menzies/Blake McGlashan have totally found their groove in the light wind conditions at Newport, banking a superb scoresheet on day 5, with 4,1,1 increasing their points margin over second placed Martin Wizner Perez-Lafuente/Pedro Ramon Ameneiro Amezaga (ESP). Both wins were convincing, assured by a winning margin of around 100 metres over the next placed teams.

The Spanish pair have something to prove, as they won the 420 Junior Europeans last month, and were eyeing another win here at the 420 Worlds. Three races on Wednesday’s final day could witness some upsets, but judging on form to date it will be hard to overthrow the Kiwis.

Third to the USA’s Dylan Ascencios/William George. Racing with a different crew Ascencios finished 2nd at last year’s 420 Junior Europeans in Italy, and possesses every opportunity to hold firm in a podium spot, and potentially upgrade from third.

With two wins to the Kiwis, it was Italy’s Gabriele Romeo/Giulio Tamburini who took out the other race win, to end their day where they started in 9th overall.

The silver fleet is led by Max Anker/Mariner Fagan, chased by two other USA teams behind.

420 Open - Top 10 after 9 Races
1. Seb MENZIES/Blake MCGLASHAN (NZL 56674) - 18 pts
2. Martín WIZNER PÉREZ-LAFUENTE/Pedro Ramón AMENEIRO AMEZAGA (ESP 55163) - 46 pts
3. Dylan ASCENCIOS/William GEORGE (USA 55917) - 50 pts
4. Otto HENRY/Thomas LARKINGS (AUS 56447) - 57 pts
5. Elias Leonard ARETZ QUECK/Pablo GARCÍA CRANFIELD (ESP 56691) - 62 pts
6. Luis Miguel HERNÁNDEZ TIRADO/Ignacio BALAGUER GALBIS (ESP 56580) - 63 pts
7. Alessandro CALDARI/Federico CALDARI (ITA 56159) - 67 pts
8. Eleanor KEERS/Aaron CHADWICK (GBR 56339) - 68 pts
9. Gabriele ROMEO/Giulio TAMBURINI (ITA 56045) - 76 pts
10. Francisco MOURÃO/Luís PINHEIRO (POR 55328) - 78 pts

420 U17
Whilst the 420 Open and 420 Women have teams established out front, in the U17 fleet the fight is finely balanced with just 2 points separating the top two. Great pace from Marina Garau Bosch/Blanca Cabot Sancho rewarded them with scores of 4,2,1 and their hands on pole position, ahead of overnight leaders Jacobo Garcia Garcia/Antoni Ripoll Gonzalez (ESP).

Climbing up into third are Greece’s Odysseas Spanakis/Konstantinos Mixalopoulos, also boosted by a race win. Their gain is in distinct contrast to team mates Melina Pappa/Maria Tsamopoulou, who dropped from 3rd to 6th as they notched up their worst scorecard of the series.

Of note is that Spain owns 50% of the top 10 leaderboard positions going into the final day, with the other five shared out with 2 to Italy, 2 to Greece and one German team.

420 U17 - Top 10 after 9 Races
1. Marina GARAU BOSCH/Blanca CABOT SANCHO (ESP 56391) - 55 pts
2. Jacobo GARCÍA GARCÍA/Antoni RIPOLL GONZÁLEZ (ESP 56196) - 57 pts
3. Odysseas SPANAKIS/Konstantinos MIXALOPOULOS (GRE 54484) - 66 pts
4. Oscar POUSCHÈ/Luca COSLOVICH (ITA 56124) - 80 pts
5. Demetrio SPOSATO/Gabriele CENTRONE (ITA 56563) - 81 pts
6. Melina PAPPA/Maria TSAMOPOULOU (GRE 56340) - 82 pts
7. Sebastián RIQUELME BECKMANN/Miquel PÉREZ CARBÓ (ESP 56385) - 83 pts
8. Samuel BENEYTO LANCHO/Víctor MEDINA MORALES (ESP 56409) - 85 pts
9. Paula VAN WIERINGEN MASSANET/María Del Mar GIL ROIG (ESP 56417) - 87 pts
10. Jonathan STEIDLE/Leonardo HONOLD (GER 56649) - 87 pts 

HOW TO FOLLOW
Follow the 420 World Championship via our daily reports, photos, video and 420 Class Championship APP.

Championship Website: 2018worlds.420sailing.org

Results - http://2018worlds.420sailing.org/en/default/races/race-resultsall

Photo Service – Daily photo galleries will be provide in high and low resolution on a daily basis free of rights for editorial use only. Team photo requests for editorial use should be made to: office@420sailing.org

All images used should include the official photograph credit as per the photo.

Championship APP - the 420 Class is running a Championship APP for the 2018 420 World Championship so you can keep up to date with all the racing action from your favourite sailors wherever you are

Video and Photos – daily videos and photos will be produced for social media and websites, which will be available on the Championship website and 420  Class social media.

Social – you can follow the 420 World Championship on:

Championship website - 2018worlds.420sailing.org
420 on Facebook - www.facebook.com/International420ClassAssociation
420 on Twitter - twitter.com/420class
420 on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/Int420Dinghy
Get social using #420Worlds #420Class

Enjoy our Social Media board

Media enquiries to: Kim.Cooper@sailnewport.org and office@420sailing.org

About the 2018 420 World, Women’s World and U17 World Championships
The 2018 420 World, Women’s World and U17 World Championships, 7-15 August 2018, is hosted at Sail Newport, Rhode Island, USA. 336 sailors from 18 nations are competing, with 71 boats in the Open fleet, 53 in the Women and 44 in the U17. The 420 Open teams are split into two fleets for a 6 race qualification series and 6 race final series, with a single race discard coming into play after race three. Teams contesting the Women and U17 World Championships race a single series of 12 races, with a single race discard after race three.

Nations competing: Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, USA and US Virgin Islands.

About the International 420 Class Association
The 420 is an established worldwide performance two-person trapeze and spinnaker racing dinghy which holds status as an International Class and Learn-to-Sail boat.