“A Father-Daughter Race in a Fully Cooked Racing Machine” - Audi Hong Kong to Vietnam Race

Sept. 30, 2013 - PRLog -- All of the crew has raced with the kukuKERchu program over the years at various regattas throughout Asia, both on the 40 and the previous 32 of the same name.

Joining David (who at 59 is the eldest) is Adam Minoprio - Emirates Team New Zealand Volvo Ocean Racer and World Match Racing Tour champion 2009 with BlackMatch Racing (currently lying in second place on this year’s WMRT as Alpari Racing), Tom Powrie a member of the BlackMatch World Match Racing Tour champions of 2009 and Alpari Racing crew in this year’s WMRT and Phil Robertson of WAKA Racing, a very talented young sailor also on the WMRT circuit with a chance to take the title. Phil was in Hong Kong in May of this year and was runner-up to Will Tiller in RHKYC’s 1O1O 4G Hong Kong International Match Racing Regatta.

The other key people on board are Jono Rankine - Navigator and boat Captain, Ollie Scott-Mackie - North Sails (the youngest crewmember at 22) and Jamie Thompson - boat builder at McConaghy Boats, yes including kukuKERchu.

David is looking forward to the Race and says “kukuKERchu was built for this type of racing so we are hoping that she, and we, perform to expectations at this, her first opportunity at offshore, downhill reaching in the expected big breeze.”

He suspects that “Ragamuffin should be the Line Honours winner and perhaps break the course record. However on handicap it will be an interesting outcome as most of the fleet has the ability to pull off a win dependent on conditions, tactics and the array of very talented sailors across the fleet. I guess we will know around Oct 21!”

David is looking forward to many aspects of the race however the two that stand out for him are racing with his daughter Mairead  - they’ve done plenty of racing together but never a Cat 1 - or as he puts it, “a father-daughter race in a fully cooked racing machine”.

About the Audi Hong Kong to Vietnam Race

First conceived in 1996 when it was run at Lunar New Year, this 656nm Category 1 offshore race is now a biennial fixture in the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club sailing calendar. A constituent event of RHKYC’s popular China Coast Race Week, the race makes the most of October’s prevailing north east monsoon to give competitors a thrilling, predominantly downwind race from Hong Kong to Nha Trang on Vietnam’s eastern seaboard. The 2013 edition will see a sixteen-strong fleet chasing the current race record of 42h 45m 41s, which was set in 2004 by Grant Wharington’s Skandia.

Official Audi Hong Kong to Vietnam Race website at: http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/hkvietnamrace.aspx

Follow the Race on the Club’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/rhkyc

Armchair sailors can also track the race via Yellowbrick tracking at: http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/hkvyellowbrick.aspx

About Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC) is one of the oldest sports clubs in Hong Kong and is proud of its rich, colourful history, which stretches back over 160 years of social and competitive sailing and rowing.  RHKYC organises a full calendar of local and international racing for both keel boats and dinghies, ranging from round-the-cans to Category 1 offshore races.  The Club also provides sailing courses for members and non-members at various levels to nurture the development of sailing.  For more information on the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club please visit www.rhkyc.org.hk.

About Audi Hong Kong

Audi Hong Kong officially started its operation in 2013 for the Audi brand and the import business of Audi automobiles in Hong Kong and Macau, with brand marketing as its first and foremost responsibility.  The new wholly-owned sales office emphasized Audi Group’s dedication to this growing market and the company’s vision to become the leading premium automobile brand.  Audi Hong Kong achieved record first half-year results in 2013, delivering more than 40 percent year-on-year increase with 1,922 cars sold – one of the strongest performances among the markets worldwide after its official inauguration. Best-selling models included A5 sportback, A4 and Q3, underlining Audi’s values as a progressive, sophisticated and sporty premium brand.

In 2012, the Audi Group delivered 1,455,123 cars of the Audi brand to its customers, generated revenue of €48.8 billion and achieved an operating profit of €5.4 billion. The Audi Group is globally present in more than 100 markets and produces vehicles in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm (Germany), Győr (Hungary), Brussels  (Belgium),  Bratislava  (Slovakia),  Martorell  (Spain),  Kaluga  (Russia),  Aurangabad  (India), Changchun (China) and Jakarta (Indonesia). The brand with four rings will produce cars also in Foshan (China)  as  of  late  2013  and  in  San  José  Chiapa  (Mexico)  starting  in  2016.  AUDI  AG’s  wholly  owned subsidiaries include quattro GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy) and the sports motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy). The Group currently  employs  more  than  70,000  people  worldwide,  including  around  50,000  in  Germany.  Total investment of approximately €11 billion is planned by 2015  – mainly in new products and sustainable technologies. Audi lives up to its corporate responsibility and has strategically established the principle of sustainability for its products and processes. The long-term goal is CO 2 -neutral mobility.