First & second Days, May 31st/June 1st
It was a dream only, but it became true. More than 80 competitors are racing in 2007 Italian FW Open Champioships started on Thursday May 31st at Circolo Surf Torbole Garda Lake. Weather forecast weren¹t the best, but anyway 82 windsurfers from all over the world representing 12 countries (Italy, Australia, Austria, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Switzerland and Hungary) are registered. Among them the 66-years old Hungarian-Australian Tibor Ferenczy, for the fourth time playing a role in Italian Open. The event is valid as only regatta for Italian Champioships but for Super-Cup and Austrian Nationals too. More than five youth (from Italy, Germany, Poland and Slovak Republic) give valid the Championships for young people, but not for women because one competitor only, the Slovak Bratislava-based 20-year old Vanda Mankova is racing. Unfortunately the number of women is getting less and less in all FW important regattas, considering 2007 a key year for Olympic campaign and so many female competitors are engaged in RS:X regattas.
The leitmotiv of Championships concerns the return of Andrea Cucchi to main FW competitions after his sabbatical leave. Five times Italian Champion in FW from 2001 to 2005, Cucchi will find two competitors that are aiming at dethroning him: Davide Beverino winner of the two last editions of Italian Cup and Alberto Menegatti that took the fourth place at Portimao¹s Euro-Cup some weeks ago.
Thursday May 31st, clean air, cloudless sky, temperature less than season average considering in Italy the most important part of May dog days remembered more full summertime than spring hearth. Wonderful time for racing! At 1 p.m. some athletes went afloat while Head Judge Claudio Alessandrello was ready for the start. Within four hours all the daily program was completed with four valid regattas. Wind between 11 and 14 knots.
First regatta and immediately a surprise. Davide Beverino is first, followed by an excellent grandmaster Luis Marchegger, Alberto Menegatti, Thomas Fauster and Andrea Cucchi in fifth position only. After prtoest discussions Andrea will be disqualified for this regatta. In top ten Marco Begalli, Gianni Franchini, youth Malte Reuscher, the hungarian Glofak, the Finnish Paju and the Lithuanian Gresevicius.
Time for best trimming and from the second regatta the ranking of best competitors arises. Cucchi takes his revenge and wins, but Beverino is thick-skinned and has the second place before Fauster, the Austrian master Poltenstein, the Croatian Biljman, Menegatti, Franchini, Begalli, the Hungarian Glofak and the Czech Skrepek.
Many people thought Cucchi has a levelled road to an easy and overwhelming victory, but they have to change their mind. In the third regatta Beverino wins one time again, while Cucchi is second. Third place Toth from Czech Republic and behind him Franchini, Menegatti, Covre, the Polish Pikul, Poltenstein, Fauster and Begalli.
Forth and last regatta in the first day of competition where Cucchi wins and Beverino doesn¹t cross the finishing line. Menegatti is second, Begalli third, followed by Fauster, Poltenstein, Kir from Czech Republic, Paju, Toth, Marchegger and Pikul.
The neck and neck fight between Andrea Cucchi and Davide Beverino is really exciting and the final result is kept hanging on. Nowadays they are both scored with 3.4 points. Cucchi is first because he has a best score in last regatta. It¹s difficult other competitors will join them for gold and silver, but the competition for the podium is open. Menegatti is third with 10 pts. and Fauster fourth with 11 pts.
So interesting is the competition for Master division, where Marco Begalli 16 pts. is followed by Austrian Markus Poltenstein (17 pts.), the grandmaster Gianni Franchini (18 pts.), Luis Marchegger (22 pts.), and Hungarian Martin Toth (23 pts.). Mauro Covre, 11th, is the first in lightweight division, Malte Reuscher, 17th, is leading Youth division, same points with German Kordel but best discard, while Polish Pietrasik has three points more.
If the weather has been good on Thursday, during the night an atmospheric disturbance arrived in Northern Italy and so all Friday June 1st rains and gloomy weather. Obviously no regattas! We hope in the two last competition days, Saturday June 2nd Italian Republic National Day and Sunday June 3rd the sunny weather will come back.
Third & fourth Days, June 2nd/3rd
It has been like a morning star Davide Beverino¹s dream to overthrow the kingdom of Andrea Cucchi and to become the new Italian FW champion. If, after two regatta days, the challenge was still open, the last competitions have resolved every doubt and Andrea Cucchi has hold one time again the crown in his strong room, winning his sixth national championship, confirming all five-star agonistical and technical qualities.
On Saturday June 2nd the weather wasn¹t favourable, but anyway it has been possible to race. One race only, where Cucchi crossed first the finishing line, followed by Begalli, Menegatti, Beverino and Fauster. Top-five competitors made a big gap that followers cannot fill up. Croatian Biljman was sixth and after him Austrian Poltenstein, Franchini, Glofak from Hungary and Bolla.
In the last competition day, Sunday June 3rd, the sun peeped in and so we raced three regattas. Cucchi engaged the best gear and for all competitors pitch dark. Cucchi won three times, and finished the competition with six first and one second (discarded), a really astonishing record! In the first daily race (totally the sixth) Begalli was again in the second place, Menegatti third, Fauster 4th, Polish Pikul 5th, Marchegger 6th, Finnish Paju 7th, Austrian Poltenstein 8th and Beverino 9th only. Fauster arrived second in the seventh race, and Beverino third. In the last regatta of series second place for Polish Pikul and Beverino 3rd.
So Andrea Cucchi was in parade past every competitor, because his rivals are very far from breaking his ruleship. Beverino is silver and Menegatti bronze. Very excellent Thomas Fauster, fourth two points after the third, while Marco Begalli is still the best unrivalled master. Sixth, and first foreign competitor, Finnish Paju, the truly heritage of unforgettable Rauhansuu many time protagonist on Garda Lake. Seventh and Austrian Champion Markus Poltenstein, followed by the best grandmaster Gianni Franchini, Czech Toth, Polish Pikul and Croatian Biljman. Twelfth and the first in lightweight division, Mauro Covre from Sardinia. Best youth and 2nd lightweight German Kordel (14th) and Malte Reuscher, 17th, is the new Italian Youth FW Champion. Third youth and lightweight Polish Pietrasik.
Many thanks to the staff of Circolo Surf Torbole, Giulio, Chiara, Thomas and Verena Fauster for the good organisation of a great event. We are delighted that 36 foreign competitors joined Italian Open FW Championships and we wish to strengthen the relationships among Italian FW and Super-Cup. If Poland is since many years a nation leader in windsurfing world, we underline the growth of competitors from Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovak Republic and Croatia. Thanks to the Race Commitee, leaded by Claudio Alessandrello. Thanks to Vanda Mankova, the only competitor in female division, 65th in final results. And thanks again to Tibor Ferenczy, 66 y.o. Australian-Hungarian for the fourth time attended to Italians Open. This nice grandmaster came 35th out of eighty-two competitors. We hope and see him in 2008!
Marco Rossi
