MEAN MACHINE-VALLE ROMANO DEFENDS HER CROWN IN THE MEDCUP 2007The black hulled TP52 with the pink flames rising from her bow has been in Alicante since last Thursday preparing the Alicante Trophy,  Six Mean Machine-Valle Romano crew members are now Louis Vuitton Cup holders after ETNZ’s win.

And so the show begins for the Breitling Medcup 2007. This season the Mean Machine-Valle Romano TP52 will be defending the double title she holds – that of Corinthian and Overall winner in the 2006 Medcup, and the competition’s looking hotter than ever with 24 TP52 due to hit the start line in Alicante.
The Alicante Trophy (12th – 17th of June), signals the start of the Breitling Medcup 2007 Circuit and the start of 5 events the boats will be racing.

The season ahead for Peter de Ridder’s TP52 looks very exciting indeed with his multicultural crew taking on more than just the 5 Medcup Circuit events. They’ve already shown they’ve got what it takes to get to the top, by reaching that top step on the podium at the Palmavela regatta in April, and in September they’ll be heading down to the Sardinian port of Porto Cervo to take on the TP52 World Championships. At the moment the team’s got reason to celebrate too.
 
Not only are they excited about defending their crown as double winners of the Medcup Circuit 2006, the team are also euphoric with joy after 6 of the Mean Machine team (Ray Davies, Stu Bettany, Joe Allen, Jono Macbeth, Tony Rae and Tom Dodson), became Louis Vuitton Cup winners with Emirates Team New Zealand. In regattas in Alicante, Puerto Portals and Palma de Mallorca this season, the TP52 with pink flames rising from the bow of her black hull will be displaying the colours of sponsor of Valle Romano Golf & Resort. Owner and skipper Peter de Ridder’s excitement at the start of the Breitling Medcup 2007 is evident: “I am sure the competion this year’s going to be harder to fight off than ever. There are lots great teams, great boats and great designers out there. We’ll have to be wary of teams like Artemis, Stay Calm, Patches, Caixa Galicia and Mutua Madrileña. Everything’s pointing towards a very close competition with consistency being the key to success. I’d like to express my deepest thanks to Valle Romano for the confidence and trust they’ve placed in our team.”
 
Like the rest of the team, Peter de Ridder hasn’t stopped sailing since they finished their successful 2006 campaign. Mean Machine has been involved in regattas in the Mumm 30 Class as well as the preparation of the Volvo Ocean Race campaign 2008-09, researching, testing and training with the team’s VO 70 Mean Machine.

The action in Alicante, first of the MedCup events, started on Tuesday with a practice race, be followed from Wednesday to Sunday with Coastals and Windward/Leeward races.Amongst the TP52 fleet that Mean Machine Valle Romano is going to face, there are some of the highest level teams in the world such as Artemis, skipered by Russell Coutts, Caixa Galicia with Roberto Bermudez at the helm or Mutua with Vasco Vascotto.Crew:For the 2007 TP52 European season, Peter de Ridder will call to the ranks the same team he had for the 2006 season, with just a few changes. Round the World sailor Jules Salter, and experienced ocean sailors Simeon Tienport and Justin Clougher will also be joining the Mean Machine team.Another exciting addition is New Zealander Cameron Appleton, second helmsman of Team New Zealand 2003 and one of the big names in world match racing. He’ll be joining the team here in Alicante to replace strategist Ray Davies. 

Five of the Mean Machine-Valle Romano crew members; Ray Davies, Joe Allen, Tony Rae, Stu Bettany and Jono Macbeth, won’t be sailing in this regatta, as they’re off fighting for the prestigious America’s Cup after winning the Louis Vuitton Cup in Valencia. Finding replacements in a sailing platform such as Mean Machine, won’t be a problem
 
Following a great performance last year, Mean Machine-Valle Romano owner and skipper Peter de Ridder is confident in round the world and America’s Cup sailors Tom Dodson, Dirk de Ridder and Jonathan Swain’s, amongst others, ability to bring the goods home.

Among all the members of Mean Machine’s global team they notch up a spine-chilling 53 America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race/ Whitbread campaigns.