Gladiator wins TP52 World Championship

Tony Langley’s Gladiator became the first British flagged team to lift the Rolex TP52 World Championship, winning the 2024 title held July 16-20 in Newport, RI.

With Guillermo Parada steering, backed up by Bruno Zirilli navigator and the owner calling tactics supported by Chris Hosking, the Gladiator team laid the foundations for their first outright regatta success and their first world title together with three back-to-back race wins early in the ten-race championship.

They complemented these victories with two second places and some fourths and fifths. They went into the last race with seven-point lead over Sled which represent the host club the New York Yacht Club. Chasing their rivals across the finish line after a long, tough week on a challenging race course was enough to secure Gladiator the title.

When the Argentinian double world champion and four times 52 SUPER SERIES title winner Parada joined the Gladiator program before last season, Langley passed over the helm to ‘Guille’ as Langley sought to learn from one of the most accomplished, humble pro sailors on the 52 SUPER SERIES.

Immediately, it proved a potent combination when they finished third in Saint Tropez, third in Menorca, and then third at the 2023 Rolex TP52 World Championship in Barcelona.
This year they took over the former Alegre and most recently on these same Newport waters finished a close second last month behind the Thai Team Vayu, serving notice again that they are potential regatta winners.

To claim the World title, they demonstrated excellent boat speed in the light to moderate breezes along with careful risk management – prepared to push hard to one side of the course or the other on the strength of their great starting all backed up by good teamwork.

“We have come a long way in one and a half seasons and before that it was a long, long road and this makes it all the sweeter,” said Langley. “And especially having our first ever regatta win at a World Championship and becoming world champions and right here in Newport, somewhere I love.

“We started with this new team in Saint Tropez and since then we have had eight regattas and we have developed our processes together; we have a few wobbles but pull ourselves back and here we are.”

Parada added, “I think everyone will agree we deserved to win. It is such a demanding race course; it is never obvious which side to go. We worked hard on having good starts and having good boat speed and I think we were a little better than the competition.” Parada had previously won TP52 world titles with Matador in 2009 and Azzurra in Puerto Portal in 2015.

Series details – YouTube – Facebook

Final Results:
1. GLADIATOR (GBR), Tony Langley, 9+1+1+1+5+2+5+4+2+10 = 40
2. SLED (USA), Takashi Okura, 2+2+9+6+3+1+2+7+5+9 = 46
3. PLATOON AVIATION (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 7+3+4+9+1+4+4+6+8+2 = 48
4. ALPHA+ (HKG), Shawn and Tina Kang, 5+5+5+7+6+9+7+1+4+1 = 50
5. ALEGRE (GBR), Andy Soriano, 3+4+6+3+2+10+9+3+6+5 = 51
6. QUANTUM RACING (USA), Doug DeVos, 6+10+3+2+8+7+3+9+1+3 = 52
7. PAPREC (FRA), Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 4+8+8+5+9+5+8+8+3+4 = 62
8. VAYU (THA), Family Whitcraft, 1+7+2+8+10+8+10+2+9+8 = 65
9. PHOENIX (RSA), Hasso and Tina Plattner, 10+6+7+4+7+3+1+10+10+7 = 65
10. INTERLODGE (USA), Austin & Gwen Fragomen, 8+9+11(DNS)+11(DNS)+4+6+6+5+7+6 = 73

Past TP52 World Champions
2008 Lanzarote, Quantum Racing
2009 Palma, Matador
2010 Valencia, Quantum Racing
2011 Porto Cervo, Quantum Racing
2012 No Event
2013 Miami, Rán Racing
2014 Porto Cervo, Quantum Racing
2015 Puerto Portals, Azzurra
2016 Mahón, Quantum Racing
2017 Scarlino, Platoon
2018 Cascais, Quantum Racing
2019 Puerto Portals, Platoon
2020 No Event
2021 Palma, Sled
2022 Cascais, Quantum Racing
2023 Barcelona, Platoon

2024 52 SUPER SERIES OVERALL (after three events)
1. GLADIATOR (GBR), Tony Langley, 37+35+40 = 112
2. QUANTUM RACING POWERED BY AMERICAN MAGIC (USA), Doug DeVos,
27+36+52 = 115
3. SLED (USA), Takashi Okura, 33+42+46 = 121
4. ALEGRE (GBR), Andy Soriano, 37+44+51 = 132
5. PLATOON AVIATION (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 45+47+48 = 140
6. VAYU (THA), Familia Whitcraft, 51+33+65 = 149
7. INTERLODGE (USA), Austin y Gwen Fragomen, 32+49+73 = 154
8. ALPHA+ (HKG), Shawn y Tina Kang, 51+58+50 = 159
9. PAPREC (FRA), Jean-Luc Pethuguenin, 49+51+62 = 162
10. PHOENIX (RSA), Hasso y Tina Plattner, 77+46+65 = 188
11. PROVEZZA (TUR), Ergin Imre, 25+88+110 = 223

2024 Schedule
April 28-May 2: Palma, Mallorca, Spain
June 11-16: Newport, RI, USA
July 16-20: TP52 World Championship – Newport RI, USA
August 28-September 1: Puerto Portals, Mallorca, Spain
September 24-28: Valencia, Spain

Source: 52SS