NEWS

CORINTHIAN EXCLUSIVE: MIKE DOW LEADS 2007 AUDI NATIONALS CORINTHIAN LEAGUE

©2007 JOY | USMCA 21 SEPTEMBER 2007 - Of the fifty-six competitors, twenty-one teams from all over the country qualified for the Corinthian competition division — all after the major title of 2007 Audi Melges 24 U.S. National Corinthian Champion. There were initially some favorites including Rob Bunn on Rumbler, Mac Hollerbach on Fu, Mike Dow on Flying Toaster, Paul Hulsey on Hoodlum, Greg McCliment on Cujo, Simon Strauss on Team Gill and last but certainly not least was Bora Gulari at the helm for Chuck Holzman on Flyer. Most of the above are full-on Melges 24 die-hard Michigan natives with the exception of Strauss who is from New York. Local knowledge seems to drive a lot of the early picks to do well. But, here is how it stacked up on day one of the championship - in true Melges 24 Corinthian style - three races, three different winners. In race one, Gulari suffered a tough break along with some other Corinthians including Jeff Lindheim on Tamarak Racing from Louisiana, and Marty Jensen on Moxie at the start, each being called over early. From there it was a big struggle, but for others such as Scott Gregory on Team Satisfaction, Alex Shaffer on Sweaty Betty, Bob Pethick on Bretwalda progressed looking very strong. In particular Shaffer turned up the speed on his brand new M24 and landed the top spot in the league, followed by Dow, then Pethick. Another turn of events in race two gave way to a little more breeze and a lot more fun. After another set of individual recalls (Lindheim caught in the over earlies again), this time it was Regatta Chair, and Detroit's Hulsey commanding the lead of the entire fleet as he rounded first. What a sight it was to see such Corinthian strength and skill lead the likes of Bill Hardesty, Dave Ullman, Mark Ivey around the top mark. Despite Hulsey's speed it wasn't enough to hang on to the lead, but very satisfied with a first place Corinthian, third place finish overall. In second was Pethick and Shaffer in third. The last and final race of the day was a five-legger, where once again the breeze was on the increase as was the competition. Strauss this time got a nice punch off the line, rounding the top mark, commanding the entire field of competitors. Dow was back in the hunt rounding fourth. At the next leward gate Lindheim finally found his groove screaming in from the right rounding the gate in second. Strauss regained the lead on the upwind beat, Lindheim, Jensen and Dow battling it out to the finish. Strauss maintained the top Corintian slot, followed by Dow then Hollerbach making a great come back at the finish. Heading into day two of the event and a heavy breeze forecasted today will nonetheless very interesting. TOP TEN CORINTHIANS 1.) Mike Down, Flying Toaster 2.) Paul Hulsey, Hoodlum 3.) Alex Shaffer, Sweaty Betty 4.) Simon Strauss, Team Gill 5.) Marc Hollerbach, Fu 6.) Bob Pethick, Bretwalda 7.) Bora Gulari/Chuck Holzman, Flyer 8.) Jeff Lindheim, Tamarack Racing 9.) Scott Gregory, Team Satisfaction 10.) Charlie Hess, Temerity - - ABOUT AUDI OF AMERICA, INC. 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. ABOUT THE 2007 AUDI MELGES 24 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 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, RejeX Corrosion Technologies, Tim Wilkes Photography, and Penalty Box Productions. The Melges 24 is designed by Reichel Pugh and considered the most unique one design sportboat in the world as well as one of the fastest-growing classes of high performance yachts. More information can be found at the Official Web site of the U.S. Melges 24 Class Association (USMCA), the International Melges 24 Class Association (IMCA) and at the Midwest Melges 24 Regional Web Site. EVENT PRESS OFFICER Alan Block (248) 563-0657 - mobile (248) 808-4086 - office U.S. MELGES 24 CLASS ASSOCIATION (USMCA) PRESS OFFICER Joy Dunigan, USMCA Communications Director (912) 398-5776 - mobile

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