After five days of high intensity racing off Porto Cervo, the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship came to a close today (September 7th) with Bella Mente Racing taking second- and fourth-place finishes in the final two races, resulting in fourth-place overall.

Day 5 of the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship (Photo Credit Jesús Renedo)

“The crew was outstanding, and this was good regatta for boat development,” said owner/driver Hap Fauth adding that the team worked its way up the ladder throughout the week after a challenging first day of racing. “Overall it was a great event, and we learned a lot about Bella Mente in light air conditions.”

Day 5 of the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship (Photo Credit Jesús Renedo)

The fifth and final day was comprised of two windward-leeward races, and Race 7 started in eight to ten knots of breeze. Bella Mente got off on the right foot with an excellent pin-end start, and took on Rán 2 in a tactical fight upwind. Rán 2 rounded mark one in first-place, followed by Bella Mente in second-place, and the two teams kept their positions through to the end of the race.

The breeze kicked up to 11 knots for Race 8, and Bella Mente had another great start, but this time from the committee boat end. The team held third-place overall until the last downwind leg, when the fleet compressed, resulting in a fourth-place finish for Bella Mente.

Congratulations to Niklas and Catherine Zennström and the entire Rán 2 team for winning this year’s Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship! We will be back next year to challenge you for it!

Day 5 of the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship (Photo Credit Jesús Renedo)

Bella Mente Racing brought its “A Game” to racing and delivered another strong performance for day four at the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship, finishing in third-place for the second coastal race of the week. Tomorrow, intensity on the race course will reach a record high when the Mini Maxi fleet takes on the event’s final two races to determine the class’s world champion for 2013.

Day 4 of the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship (Photo Credit Jesús Renedo)

“It will definitely be a battle on the water tomorrow,” said owner/driver Hap Fauth adding that after extremely impressive performances during the last two days of racing, the team has moved up to fourth place overall. “Statistically it’s going to be tough, but if we win both races tomorrow we can still get on the podium, and that is our objective.”

Day 4 of the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship (Photo Credit Jesús Renedo)

Day 4 of the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship (Photo Credit Jesús Renedo)

Day 4 of the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship (Photo Credit Jesús Renedo)

Today’s race started on time with a steady eight to ten knots of breeze. Bella Mente Racing fought for the committee boat end of the line and held second place for the first two miles of the race, which took the fleet on a 38-mile journey through Sardinia’s famous “bomb alley” and around Monaci and Secca di Tre Monti before heading north toward the Strait of Bonifacio and around La Maddalena Island. The boats returned for a finish off Porto Cervo, and Bella Mente crossed the finish line with an elapsed time of four hours, 13 minutes and 28 seconds.

On tap for tomorrow are two windward-leeward races.

Day 4 of the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship (Photo Credit Jesús Renedo)