Jesper Bank At The Helm Again – Martin Krite Back After Injury
(2002-10-22, Auckland). Jesper Bank will be back at the helm when Victory Challenge enters the second round of the
Louis Vuitton Cup.
“Jesper Bank is a world-class performer in sailing,” says Mats Johansson, project leader and skipper of the Swedish
America’s Cup challenge.
Martin Krite returns as midbowman having recovered from the back injury that he picked up last week.
Both Jesper Bank and Magnus Holmberg are helmsmen in the Victory Challenge team. Jesper Bank was at the helm for the
first seven matches, while Magnus Holmberg was strategist in five of them. In the eighth match Magnus Holmberg was the
one behind the wheel on Örn (SWE 63).
As Orm (SWE 73) prepares to enter the second round, Jesper Bank is at the helm again and Magnus Holmberg is back as
strategist.
“We are going for the strongest combination for the occasion. If things go our way in the first few matches, others will
get their chance to sail. If anyone gets injured or falls ill, it is important for the others not to have been away from
racing for too long. We need a broad team, with good back-up in the next stages of the Louis Vuitton Cup,” says Mats
Johansson and goes on to say: “Jesper Bank was impressive in the first round and we are counting on his world class
showing in the first matches of the second round too.
At the same time we have the security of Magnus Holmberg as a back-up – he’s also world class”.
Twenty-one men got to sail in the eight matches of the first round.
Even more crewmen are set to participate in the second round.
However, only 16 are on the boat during a match.
And the first 16 names on the crew list for the first match in round robin two all sailed in round robin one.
In their first race of the second round, Victory Challenge meet Le Défi Areva of France, who still do not have a win
under their belt. The match takes place in the early hours of Thursday, which means that the team gets one day more rest
than the other challengers.
Prada and Mascalzone Latino have come off worst – they have to sail two matches on Wednesday. The first-round meeting
between Prada and Mascalzone has still not been settled. They now meet in the first match on Wednesday instead.
All the matches from the first day of round robin two are due to be sailed on the same day.
Wednesday’s matches are:
Prada versus Mascalzone Latino in the postponed Italian derby.
OneWorld against Mascalzone Latino.
Oracle BMW Racing against Prada.
Team Dennis Conner against GBR Challenge.
Le Défi Areva against Alinghi.
The 16 selected for Orm’s (SWE 73) America’s Cup debut are:
Jesper Bank, helmsman
Stefan Rahm, tactician
Johan Barne, navigator
Magnus Holmberg, strategist
Fredrik Olrog, runner grind
Henrik Valderyd, mainsail trimmer
Oscar Angervall, traveller
Lars Linger, genoa trimmer
Oskar Ljung, spinnaker trimmer
Magnus Augustson, floater
Henrik Norberg, port grinder
Claus Olesen, starboard grinder
Henrik Blakskjær, pitman
Anders Dahlsjö, mastman
Martin Krite, midbowman
Jonas Wackenhuth, bowman
“We have been spared from injury recently, although when Martin Krite fell two metres and landed on his back there was
real cause for concern,” says Mats Johansson. “But he has recovered and will be back sailing with us as even on
Wednesday” adds Mats.
On that day both Orm and Örn will be taking each other on one last time before Orm’s first Louis Vuitton Cup match.
Bert Willborg/Victory Challenge