The Jury ruling handed down during the Cartagena stopover in Spain determined that Holcim-PRB should not be left without points following an elimination that was no fault of their own. Rather than fixing a static score for Leg 1, the Jury resolved that Holcim-PRB's result for that leg would be calculated as an average of the positions the team records across Legs 2 through 5. No additional penalties were applied to either team beyond the retirements each had already suffered in Leg 1.
In practice, Holcim-PRB's Leg 1 score will shift after every subsequent finish, beginning with the arrival into Nice. By tying that score to the team's average performance across the rest of the race, the Jury aimed to produce an outcome that genuinely reflects Holcim-PRB's standing in the fleet. One constraint applies: the redress does not extend to the scoring gate from Leg 1, and points from future scoring gates will have no bearing on that figure either.
Alan Roberts, who represented Holcim-PRB at the hearing, described the outcome as both fair and necessary for the team's campaign. "We're pleased with the Jury decision, which will allow us to score points for Leg 1 that fairly reflect the performance of the team over the course of the full race. This has been an important decision as it frees us up for the rest of the event to focus on our sailing and achieving the best performance on the water." Roberts also acknowledged the toll the process had taken on all parties. "The whole process has been hard on ourselves and Allagrande Mapei Racing too I'm sure, and we're pleased to be getting out of the Jury room and back on the water."
Allagrande Mapei Racing skipper Ambrogio Beccaria found himself on the other side of the ruling, with his team's application for redress declined. He accepted the decision without complaint. "The Jury decided not to grant us redress. We respect their ruling, even if it's not the outcome we were hoping for. That's part of our sport, and we accept it."
“This was a tough situation for both teams. Our energy is now directed toward the race itself. There are still three important legs ahead on the way to Montenegro.”
With the hearing behind them, both teams return their focus to racing. Holcim-PRB's Leg 1 points tally will continue to develop as further results come in, keeping them in contention for the overall title. The fleet is bound for Nice and beyond, and the contest for The Ocean Race Europe remains wide open.
