contentcontentcontentcontent

Skip to Content

Full Story

Fireball Worlds 2013 - 1-2-3 using Super Spars rigs

Crews using Super Spars rigs continued in winning form at the 2013 Worlds in Portoroz, building on results at the previous weeks European Championships and earlier Nationals events.

After some very close racing, teams using Super Spars rigs clinched the top three places despite the continuing tricky variable wind conditions that ranged from virtually zero to twenty knots wind speed.

Fireball Worlds 2013 trophy winners

 

Crews using Super Spars rigs continued in winning form at the 2013 Worlds in Portoroz, building on results at the previous weeks European Championships and earlier Nationals events.

After some very close racing, teams using Super Spars rigs clinched the top three places despite the continuing tricky variable wind conditions that ranged from virtually zero to twenty knots win>

The new M2 was in first place with the new M7+ Fireball rig in second and third.All were updated with fully adjustable spreaders, halyard lock and extended goosenecks.

Of the top eleven finishers, seven crews were using Super Spars rigs and many have commented on their experiences.

For over 20 years I have worked closely with Super Spars and every time it never ceases to amaze me how consistent the sections are and how reliable the whole package is. I always feel we are getting the best possible rig for the boat with the best fittings. The M2 section definitely gave us a slight edge over the M7 particularly in light winds. More importantly over the past few years you are getting the best core material for the spar knowing there will be very little effect on the performance of the spars over life of the spar.’’ (Fireball World champions Simon Potts and Tom Gillard)

The last few weeks also saw Christian Birrell and Sam Brearey travel to Slovenia to battle for the Fireball European and World titles. Christian was looking to add to his national title won earlier this year, while Sam was looking to defend the world title he won in Australia

Having a European and a World championships back to back brings many challenges, consistency being the biggest challenge.

For Christian and Sam the Europeans started well with a second, but with only 3 races in very light tricky conditions, the boys slipped to 4th overall, and 3rd in the Junior European Championship. Although not the start to the World Championships they wanted, Birrell/Brearey stayed up beat, knowing the main event was yet to come.

As the World Championships started Christian and Sam knew that consistency and calmness would be key. On the opening Day they boys put in 2 top 3 finishes and throughout the series continued to deliver top results over and over again, highlighting the versatility and high performance of the Super Spar M7 mast.

Leading after 2 days Christian and Sam continued to battle on, with multiple place changes throughout the week, they never slipped out of the top 3 medal positions.

With a mixed penultimate day accumulating a race win and a discard Birrell/Brearey were just 2 points from the world title going into the final day show down, and virtually guaranteed a silver medal.

However the boys were stumped by the lack of wind and never got the chance to battle for the title, finishing in 2nd place. A Great effort and achievement by the pair, showing the most consistency throughout the 2 weeks of competitions.

"Throughout the 2 weeks, in every condition from 4 knots to 20, from flat to chop, we felt really fast and in a fantastic groove.’’(Christian Birrell, placed second with Sam Brearey)

"Credit must go to the teams at Super Spars and North Sails for developing and delivering such consistent, fast products. Our thanks to them both for their support. It was a real shame not to get to battle it out on the last day.

We felt really confident going in, and who knows what would have happened. Both Christian and I are hugely grateful for the amazing support we have had this year from all our sponsors.’’ (Sam Brearey, placed second with Christian Birrell)

"The new rig made a real difference in boat speed and contributed to our victory. We would like to thank Super Spars for a very professional and personal service.

Due to Super Spars in-depth knowledge of their products, we were able to put exactly the right stiffness spar in the boat to suit our crew weight and compete at Championship winning level from the very first race." (Richard Wagstaff, placed third with Matt Burge)

Content Management Powered by CuteNews