Australian team wins Rolex Challenge

• NEWS
• 01 Jan, 2006 10:47:00 AM

Australian team wins Rolex Challenge

The Australian team of Loki and Quantum Racing have won the Rolex Challenge international offshore teams racing series that ended with the 61st Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The Australian team of Loki and Quantum Racing have won the Rolex Challenge international offshore teams racing series that ended with the 61st Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The Rolex Challenge results were announced today at the trophy presentation for the Rolex Sydney Hobart, held at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

The Australian team of Quantum Racing, a DK46, skippered by Ray Roberts, and Stephen Ainsworth’s new Loki, a Reichel/Pugh 60, finished the series with 84 points under a modified low-scoring system. 

Quantum Racing, which also won her division of the Rolex Trophy – Rating Series, placed 9th Overall in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, to be the outstanding boat of the series.  Loki finished 2nd in her division of the Rolex Trophy – Rating Series and 7th Overall in the Hobart race.

Second place overall in the Rolex Challenge went to the Queensland team of Yendys (Geoff Ross) and Wedgetail (Bill Wild) with 99 points, with third place going to New Zealand on 117 points, the team comprising Stewart Thwaites’ Konica Minolta and Fincorp More Witchcraft (John Cameron).

Victoria (Flirt and Fuzzy Logic) placed fourth with 122 points, followed by the NSW Blue team (Ragamuffin and Nips-N-Tux) on 126 points and NSW Red (Wild Oats XI and Wild Rose) on 141 points. 

Three teams scored equal points, 6, in the Rolex Sydney Hobart – NSW Red, Queensland and Australia – but the Australian team held the advantage it had achieved in the eight race Rolex Trophy – Rating Series.