“We try to keep the Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE in constant evolution”


¿ How does this year's edition look like?

Pretty well given the circumstances. The regatta, unfortunately, also suffers the consequences of the world crisis and this will have, inevitably, its effect on the registration, on the number of boats as well as on their quality; nevertheless we can't complain about the boats registered until now, quite the opposite.

¿What's new for 2009?

Regarding the classes taking part in the race, we still keep our bet on the one design fleets, and this year's new guest class is a proof of that, the X-41. With regard to the handicap classes, we still have IRC and ORC, even if this year we have included the RI rating, with the intention of making room in the Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE for the national fleet.

There's no doubt that the come back of the maxis is good news.

It definitely is. The maxis took part in the Copa del Rey several years ago, and thanks to hard work and our bet on the IRC,we have them back. And this is good news for the regatta, but also for the high performance sailing.

But you also remain loyal to one design boats like Swan 45, X-35 and X-41.

Yes, as I've said before, our bet on one design boats and on the real time races is one of the goals of our event. It is clear that the “box rule” formula is ideal, but the investment it requires is nowadays out of reach for most pockets.

With the introduction of the new classes, ¿ will RI become the most popular and crowded class?

Yes, I agree, i think it will.

¿What would you stress from this year's edition?

Probably the inclusion of the new classes, but, maybe, the most important thing about the Copa del Rey is that we try to keep it in constant evolution, always keeping an eye on the world of sailing's new trends.

In spite of the crisis, ¿ does the national and international fleet show a good response?

Yes it does, even if they are not in such good spirits as they were years before. Projects have become much more austere and ship owners must cut down their budgets as much as they can.

¿In which direction does the mediterranean cruising sail go?

It's difficult to give an answer to that question. The Mediterranean is very big and has one of the largest racing fleets of the world. At the same time, some of the most important regattas take place here. Each of these events has its own philosophy and they are all good. We work indistinctly with very different fleets, like in the HUBLOT PalmaVela, with dingies and Olimpia classes, or with the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía MAPFRE. In short, each part of the Mediterranean has its own idiosyncrasy and vision of how competition sailing must be, and they are all good.

Finally, ¿what do you expect from this Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre?

We expect to achieve our registration objectives, not just with regard to the number of boats, but also to the quality of the competitors. We also hope we meet the expectations of our sponsors and in order to ensure their loyalty with this project.