The RSM, helmed by Róbert Vándor, was the first to cross the finish line in the 58th Kékszalag (Blue Ribbon) Raiffeisen Grand Prix sailing race on Thursday in Balatonfüred.
In addition to helmsman Róbert Vándor, the boat’s crew consisted of Zsolt Kalocsai, Péter Lange, István Bali, András Fekete, and Botond Margitics.
Róbert Vándor, already a three-time winner, can once again stand on the top step of the podium in the around-the-lake race following his 2021 victory.
The winner RSM, helmed by Róbert Vándor. Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
Photo: MTI/Katona Tibor
The race’s website reported:
RSM won a Kékszalag race that was extremely tactical, with light winds and constant changes in position. The team had already been considered one of the favorites even before the race began.
The winner RSM, helmed by Róbert Vándor. Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
Although the boat helmed by Róbert Vándor did not lead the entire race, it was the first to pass every buoy. Then, following the position changes, it regained the lead on the return leg near Balatonszemes and completed the course in 13 hours, 27 minutes, and 42 seconds.
After the race, Róbert Vándor called it their most exciting Kékszalag yet, saying: “The field was strong, there were many fast boats at the start, and it was incredibly difficult to keep up with them.”
Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
He explained: “It was a tough race. We managed to be the first to round every mark, but then things happened that did not work in our favor. Near Keszthely, the boats that reached the buoy later caught a breeze that we did not, hence from that point on, we had to fight our way back from behind.”
Photo: MTI/Krizsán Csaba
Photo: MTI/Krizsán Csaba
Behind RSM, the team of thirteen-time winner and all-time record holder Farkas Litkey, Process Solutions, arrived in Balatonfüred in second place with a time of 14 hours, 9 minutes, and 54 seconds, sailing a special catamaran widened with cross-bracing and custom-designed sails.
Defending champion Raiffeisen Audi Fifty-Fifty arrived in Balatonfüred in third place overall with a time of 14 hours, 12 minutes, and 29 seconds. Márton Józsa and his crew fought for a podium finish right down to the last few meters.
Third-placed Raiffeisen Audi Fifty-Fifty. Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
40 boats had successfully rounded the Keszthely mark by midnight.
The Kékszalag is Europe’s longest lake-circumnavigation sailing race; sailors face a course of approximately 155 kilometers as the crow flies within the 48-hour time limit. This year, the race course was shortened by 3,200 meters compared to the 155-kilometer as-the-crow-flies distance, as the Keszthely buoy had to be moved 1,600 meters further east due to shallow water.
Photo: MTI/Krizsán Csaba
After the start in Balatonfüred, the fleet passed through Balatonkenese, Siófok, and the Tihany Strait, then turned around at Keszthely and returned to Balatonfüred.
Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
Photo: MTI/Katona Tibor
The Kékszalag time record is held by the Fifty-Fifty, skippered by Márton Józsa, with a time of 4 hours, 24 minutes, and 11 seconds set last year. Farkas Litkey has won the race the most times, with 13 victories.
Although the first boats reached the finish line on Thursday night, the 58th Kékszalag Raiffeisen Grand Prix is far from over. The rest of the fleet is steadily completing the course, maintaining the race’s atmosphere and excitement on Lake Balaton.
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Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
