Mark Ivey at the helm of Lightwave for the first time, this past July in Newport.

Although many of the 55 competing teams plan to arrive later in the week, some of the top teams were already preparing their boats for battle on Monday afternoon. 1999 College Sailor of the Year Mark Ivey, sailing with David Ford's two-boat Lightwave team, spent hours precisely measuring and tuning masts in Bayview's breezy staging area. "I've always been something of a seat-of-the-pants sailor, but working with Pegasus [Racing Team] really ingrained the science of sailing into me. Our goal is to know exactly what we're working with down to the millimeter, so that we can repeat our settings over a wide range and eliminate any guesswork." With a team that includes two-time World Champion Brian Hutchinson, Lightwave is an early favorite to dethrone reigning National Champion Scott Holmgren's Rosebud.

While sailors rig masts and polish hulls, event organizers are making sure that all competitors enjoy their time in Detroit. New sponsors RejeX by Corrosion Technologies, West Marine, News/Talk 760 WJR and Moosejaw have joined the event, adding their support to the high-quality group of sponsors associated with this exciting class. 760 WJR's meteorologists will air race-specific weather reports each morning, while RejeX, West Marine, and Moosejaw have supplied prizes for each team.

These new supporters join a high-quality group of sponsors whose support has made it possible for Bayview to offer a laundry list of amenities to the teams. The Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan's post-race mini massages are expected to be especially popular, while Barefoot Wines' award-winning vintages should help make Friday night's "garden luau" and Saturday's "spinnaker party" truly memorable. Title sponsor The Detroit-Area Audi Metro Dealers are excited to show off their entire line of sporting vehicles to the teams, with ride-and-drives available all weekend.

The 19-boat strong Detroit Melges 24 fleet is preparing in its own ways. Teams began practicing in earnest late last week, while 14 local boats raced six short races during Sunday's "Anarchy in the D" regatta. On the same waters that will see more than 55 boats on Friday, Marc Hollerbach's Fu took overall honors in shifty lake breezes. Numerous teams are planning multiple-boat practices each day between today and the start of the main event.

Audi offers a line of premium vehicles through a network of 270 dealers including the Audi A3 compact; the sporty A4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high performance S4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high-revving RS 4 sports sedan and Cabriolet (November 2007 launch); the all-new S5 coupe (November 2007 launch) with 354 hp; the design-leading A6 sedan and Avant; the V10-powered high performance S6 sedan; the Audi Q7 performance SUV; the new all-aluminum Audi A8; the S8 with V10 power; the all-new 2008 TT Coupe and Roadster models; and the all-new all-aluminum R8, one of the most exclusive sports cars in the world. More information is available at www.audiusa.com.

For over 20 years, Sonoma-based Barefoot Cellars Wines have received critical acclaim for their popular wines. Barefoot is a proud Sponsor/Partner of the championship and their Gold-Medal winning wines will be available throughout the event. More information on Barefoot Cellars Wines is available at www.barefootwine.com.

Challenged by the U.S. Air Force to develop a product slick enough to prevent jet turbine exhaust from adhering to aircraft paint, Corrosion Technologies Corp. created RejeX, an ultra-slick high-gloss polymer finish that seals and protects painted surfaces, glass, metal, gel coat, and acrylic. RejeX has become essential equipment on many top offshore racing power boats, which require the slipperiest, most durable finish possible. Aside from the higher top speed resulting from the application of RejeX, marine customers say that RejeX resists bottom slime like no other wax or polish. More information about RejeX is available at www.rejex.com.

The 2007 Audi Melges 24 U.S. National Championship is hosted by Bayview Yacht Club, with the support of Sponsor/Partners Audi of America, Inc., the Detroit-Area Audi Metro Dealers, Barefoot Wines, Yachtscoring.com, Latis Yachting Solutions, the Detroit Medical Center's Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Rock City Marine, Tim Wilkes Photography, Penalty Box Productions, RejeX by Corrosion Technologies, News Talk 760 WJR, West Marine, and Moosejaw.

The Melges 24 is the most unique one-design sportboat in the world, and one of the fastest-growing one-design race classes in the world. More information on the U.S. Melges 24 Class is available at www.usmelges24.com. The Midwest Region's home page is www.melges24racing.com.

# # #

EVENT PRESS OFFICER
Alan Block
(248) 563-0657 - mobile
alan@blocksail.com

USMCA CLASS OFFICER
Joy Dunigan
(912) 398-5776 - mobile
joy.dunigan@melges24.com