Andrea Cucchi vince la prima regata e stabilisce il nuovo record della Marathon RaceSilvaplana, il 14 agosto 2005.
Il secondo giorno della Euro-Cup Silvaplana di Windsurfing ha portato condizioni perfette per i migliori Windsurfers del mondo. A 15 – 20 nodi la regata tradizionale del marathon è stata iniziata con oltre 120 competitori da 23 paesi differenti.

STIMOROL ENGADINWIND.COM 2005
from August 13th to 21st in Silvaplana, St. Moritz (Switzerland)
Andrea Cucchi wins the first race and sets new record for the Marathon Race
Silvaplana, August 14th 2005. The second day of the Windsurfing Euro-Cup Silvaplana brought perfect conditions for the Worlds best Windsurfers. At 15 to 20 knots the traditional marathon race was started with over 120 competitors from 23 different countries. In this race the competitors had to sail five rounds instead of the normal two. This race has its 28th anniversary and an additional prize money of 3.000,00 Swiss Franks. Andrea Cucchi (ITA-1, Starboard, Neil Pryde) was the men of the day and won the marathon race and the biggest share of the prize money.
In the morning the Maloja wind started with a slight delay but then the conditions were perfect for racing. So the race committee decided to go for a start at 11:30. The big fleet had a clear start and in the first moments the Polish hotshot Kuba Guzdek (POL-13, Starboard, Neil Pryde) took the lead. But soon he was passed by other racers. After the first lap the double World Champion Micah Buzianis (USA-34, F2, North Sails) was leading in front of Ross Williams (GBR-83, Starboard, Gaastra) and Alberto Menegatti (ITA-456, F2, Gaastra). Other favourites like the European Champion Antoine Albeau (FRA-192, AHD, Neil Pryde) and Wojtek Brzozowski (POL-10, Starboard, Neil Pryde) were stuck somewhere in the field.
First Buzianis was able to extend his lead to almost 500 metres but then his opponents closed up again. In the fourth Upwind Buzianis went too far under land which offered the chance for his followers. Andrea Cucchi didn’t hesitate a second and passed him taking the lead. Also Brzozowski was getting closer and raising the pressure on the American. The Italian managed to defend the lead and won the race. Micah Buzianis kept the focus and the distance on Wojtek Brzozowski. On the fourth place followed Kuba Guzdek in front of Antoine Albeau.
The spectators on the tribunes were enthusiastic about the great performance on the water. Andrea Cucchi destroyed the old record for the Engadin Marathon and set a new benchmark. The official finish time of the winner, Andrea Cucchi was 52 minutes and 48 seconds. This an average speed of 48,2 kilometres per hour! Included in this average speed are also the start, all the jibes and tacks and upwind racing periods. So on the downwind reaches the top racers topped maximums of over 60 kilometres per hour.
After a break the competitors were sent out again. Two starting attempts brought two general recalls. In the meantime the wind had dropped and the race committee decided to send the competitors back to the beach and to close the competition for today. The Windsurfing Euro-Cup Silvaplana continues until Wednesday. For tomorrow the Skippers Meeting is set for 11:00 with the first possible start at 11:30.
The official website of the event with more information is www.engadinwind.com. The Windsurfing Euro-Cup Silvaplana is covered on www.euro-cup.org, www.formulawindsurfing.org and www.internationalwindsurfing.com. Besides the reports and the results you will also find a live ticker on www.euro-cup.org. So check out the internet!
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