The Raiffeisen Fifty-Fifty driven by Márton Józsa won the 54th Blue Ribbon (Kékszalag) Raiffeisen Grand Prix in a record time of 7 hours 13 minutes 21 seconds on Thursday in Balatonfüred. Team Kaáli finished in second place, and Prospex Delta in third. However, already less than an hour after the start, one of the boats sank.
The Fifty-Fifty – a Hungarian-designed twin-masted catamaran – broke the course record of 7 hours 13 minutes 57 seconds, set by the Hungarian Márton Józsa in 2014, by 36 seconds.
The crew of the winning boat included Márton Józsa helmsman Marcell Goszleth, Áron Németh, Csaba Adorján, Bence Dániel Dénes, Loránd János Erőss, and Attila Józsa-Kovács.
Márton Miklós Józsa, helmsman of the winning Raiffeisen Fifty-Fifty, after crossing the finish line at Balatonfüred on July 14, 2022. Photo by Tamás Vasvári/MTI
Márton Józsa’s boat won its third victory in the history of the competition after 2012 and 2014.
Speaking to M4 Sport after the victory, Márton Józsa highlighted the favorable wind conditions, which allowed the Raiffeisen Fifty-Fifty to take the lead right after the start and to keep ahead of the chasing pack.
Team Kaáli finished in second place in 8 hours 1 minute 20 seconds, with the crew of Flóra Anna Virág (captain), Örs Belle, Ferenc Tisóczki, Gábor Sallai, Márton Kadlecsik, Gergely Bödör, and Nándor Kugler.
The catamaran of Team Kaáli, helmed by Flóra Anna Virág, at the 54th Kékszalag Grand Prix of the sailing race, photographed from the St. Michael’s Chapel in Vonyarcvashegy on July 14, 2022. Photo by György Varga/MTI
Prospex Delta came in third in 8 hours 2 minutes 22 seconds. The crew was Kristóf Kaiser, Miklós Rauschenberger, Márton Munka, Dániel Szigeti Stacey, Dániel Dávid, György Weidinger, and Bence Sellei.
Fourth place went to RSM, led by last year’s winner Róbert Vándor, while Zoltán Petrányi finished fifth with Audax Django.
Róbert Vándor’s catamaran RSM before the start of the 54th Kékszalag Raiffeisen Grand Prix of sailing near Balatonfüred on July 14, 2022. Photo by Tamás Vasvári/MTI
According to the Hungarian Sailing Federation’s statement sent to MTI, this record was achieved thanks to ideal wind conditions, as the race was typically medium to light winds, which is ideal for catamarans. According to András Holczhauser, the federation’s secretary general, a top finish is “part of the package” in every race, and although the last few years have been characterized by light winds, this time the pace was better. He said that with the modern catamarans sailing on Lake Balaton, which have appeared in several big races, the distance can be covered in under 5 hours, the best possible time at the moment, so there is still room for more peaks in the future.
Péter Oroszlán’s boat, Principessa, before the start of the 54th Kékszalag Raiffeisen Grand Prix of sailing near Balatonfüred on July 14, 2022. Photo by Tamás Vasvári/MTI
The race website reported that a boat sank during a maneuver off Balatonalmádi in the morning. The captain of the Anibel, Béla Pető, confirmed to the organizers that no one was injured in the accident. The accident occurred when the boat did a rollover, capsized, and then sank, Sándor Bagyó, head of the Hungarian Rescue Service of the Water Rescue Service and the race’s coordinator, also told Telex. The 26-foot boat remained underwater because it could not be lifted out while the race was underway.
Around 1.30 am on Friday, another sailboat, Samurai Jack also capsized at the port of Tihany, the crew of five was rescued by the lifeguards, and nobody was hurt. According to the organizers, a phone call was made requesting aid from the capsized boat.
Éjszaka is van feladat.
A hidegfront megérkezése előtt is volt már aki kérte a segítségünket.Közzétette: VMSZ – Vízimentők Magyarországi Szakszolgálata és ÖTE – 2022. július 14., csütörtök
516 boats have entered this year’s race, with more than 2,500 sailors on board, the organizers said.
The field of the 54th Kékszalag Raiffeisen Grand Prix sailing race before the start near Balatonfüred on July 14, 2022. Photo by Tamás Vasvári/MTI
The Blue Ribbon is Europe’s longest sailing race, first held in 1934.
After the start in Balatonfüred, the sailors sail 155 kilometers as the crow flies, passing through Balatonkenese, Siófok, and the Strait of Tihany, before turning back to Balatonfüred at Keszthely.
Source: MTI
Featured image: Raiffeisen Fifty-Fifty, arrives at the finish line near Balatonfüred on July 14, 2022. Photo by Tamás Vasvári/MTI