420 SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS TITLE GOES TO MARTIN CLOOS/IVAN ARANGUREN
The 2018 420 South American Championship was hosted at Club de Veleros Barlovento, from 27 March - 1 April, and served up everything from a virtual drift to gusts over 20 knots over the four days of racing.
The early days of the South American Championship favoured the light wind specialists, before all change and the breeze ramped up for the final two days to put the 29 teams into a different race track challenge.
Onto the final day and a packed four races were completed in a breeze which opened at 15 knots, increasing to 18-20 knots and a cooler temperature. No surprise to see the lighter teams, who had excelled over the first two days, have the tables turned on them as the breeze worked in favour of the heavier crews.
Maria Victoria Montalbano/Paloma Gutierrez still narrowly held the lead going into the final day of racing, but another battering from the breeze for their smaller physiques could not see them keep ahead of the boys as they scored a string of double-digit results and dropped to 6th overall, but still finishing as top girls.
So the battle unfolded amongst the male teams and went down to a tiebreak between Argentina and Brazi on 37 points apiece. Going into the final race, the advantage was with Leonardo Lombardi/Felipe Toledo but a mistake when they least wanted it, saw them footfall and cross the line early in the final race to score an OCS penalty. With that, they then had to count their previously discarded 13th place, whilst Martin Cloos/Ivan Aranguren kicked out a perfectly executed race win - their second victory on the final day.
Reflecting the multi-nation line-up the podium medals after 12 races went to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, with gold to Martin Cloos/Ivan Aranguren (ARG), silver to Leonardo Lombardi/Felipe Toledo (BRA) and bronze to Nicolas Radovitzky/Martin Radovitzky (URU).