WEST COAST SAILORS SWEEP DAY 1 OF MELGES 24 US NATIONALS DETROIT

PRO Tim Rumptz recalled the first start after more than half the fleet was over the line early, although the restart was no less lively. A half-dozen minor collisions later and the boats were off, with Los Angeles Farr 40 owner Alan Field leading to the first mark by four boatlengths and holding his lead for a dominant wire-to-wire win. ìThat entire race came down to one smart moveî, Field said. ìWe overstood the first mark just a bit, allowing us to squeeze out one boat, which had to tack twice to round. Once we were in front, it was ours to lose ñ the rich got richer in that one.î By the third leg, Field was thirty boatlengths ahead of the fleet ñ a rare sight in an event this full of top programs.

San Diego sailor Bill Hardesty (first place) and Huntington Beachís Mark Ivey (third place) had consistent finishes for the two-boat Lightwave team, owned by David Ford of Newport, Rhode Island. Ford sails with Ivey on Lightwave Nano, while World Champions Hardesty and Brian Hutchinson sail aboard Lightwave Micro, leading their teammate by 10 points. Happy that his team is doing so well, while enjoying a post-race mini-massage courtesy of sponsor The Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Ford was understandably happy at his teams performance. When asked why he thought Hardestyís boat was ten points ahead of his own, he said, ìItís all me. Iím old, and I move too slowly around the boat. Bill doesnít have that handicap.î Races two and three saw building breeze, and no crew worked harder than current National Champion Brian Porter and his Full Throttle crew to pull two first-place finishes off. Just behind them in both races was current World Champ and Southern California sailmaker Dave Ullman, driving for Scott Holmgrenís Rosebud.

LOCAL RACERS LESS THAN STELLAR
Race Chairman Paul Hulsey and his Hoodlum Racing Team had the best finish of any of Detroitís large Melges 24 fleet with a 3rd place in race 2. Hulsey led the first half of the race and held on to finish just behind Porter and Ullman, though his lower finishes in races 1 and 3 forced Hoodlum down to 11th position. Local champion Bora Gulari, helming for Chuck Holzmanís Flyer, showed little of the speed for which heís become well-known, but expects better things tomorrow. One big surprise was rookie Melges 24 owner Andy Robinsonís DivDat Racing. Sailing with top 2008 Olympic prospect and Detroit native Carrie Howe as his tactician, Robinson is lying in 13th position, just a few points behind Hoodlum. Carrie sees this class as a whole new ballgame compared to the much slower keelboat class that sheíll be sailing in China next year. ìThis is some learning curve! You just have to be on your toes every single minute, and weíre loving it. Being in the front row makes it a lot easier to sail fast.

BIG BREEZE LIKELY TOMORROW
The arrival of a morning cold front should bring even more breeze tomorrow, though itís unlikely that the forecast will keep the teams from enjoying the full night of events planned by the race organizers at Crescent Sail Yacht Club and night clubs in downtown Detroit. Hopefully they will get the sleep they need to survive hard-hiking and high-speed downhill runs on Lake St. Clair. With tonightís party heavily sponsored by sponsor Barefoot Wines, itís not going to be easy. About Audi of America, Inc. Audi offers a line of premium vehicles through a network of 270 dealers including the Audi A3 compact; the sporty A4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high performance S4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high-revving RS 4 sports sedan and Cabriolet (November 2007 launch); the all-new S5 coupe (November 2007 launch) with 354 hp; the design-leading A6 sedan and Avant; the V10-powered high performance S6 sedan; the Audi Q7 performance SUV; the new all-aluminum Audi A8; the S8 with V10 power; the all-new 2008 TT Coupe and Roadster models; and the all-new all-aluminum R8, one of the most exclusive sports cars in the world. More information is available at www.audiusa.com .

About Barefoot Cellars Wines For over 20 years, Sonoma-based Barefoot Cellars Wines have received critical acclaim for their popular wines. Barefoot is a proud Sponsor/Partner of the championship and their Gold-Medal winning wines will be available throughout the event. More information on Barefoot Cellars Wines is available at www.barefootwine.com .

About the 2007 Audi Melges 24 U.S. National Championship The 2007 Audi Melges 24 U.S. National Championship is hosted by Bayview Yacht Club, with the support of Sponsor/Partners Audi of America, Inc., the Detroit-Area Audi Metro Dealers, Barefoot Wines, Yachtscoring.com, Latis Yachting Solutions, the Detroit Medical Centerís Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Rock City Marine, Tim Wilkes Photography, Penalty Box Productions, RejeX by Corrosion Technologies, News Talk 760 WJR, West Marine, and Moosejaw.

The Melges 24 is the most unique one-design sportboat in the world, and one of the fastest-growing one-design race classes in the world. More information on the U.S. Melges 24 Class is available at www.usmelges24.com . The Midwest Regionís home page is www.melges24racing.com . Check the official website for daily reports, pictures, and exciting video from the course at www.melges24racing.com/nationals . Full results are available at http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative . # # # EVENT PRESS OFFICER Alan Block (248) 563-0657 ñ mobile alan@blocksail.com USMCA CLASS OFFICER Joy Dunigan (912) 398-5776 ñ mobile joy.dunigan@melges24.com