Star World Championship – Varberg – Sono 95 gli equipaggi pronti a darsi battaglia al Mondiale Star di Varberg (SWE) e tra essi, presenti in rappresentanza di non mancano svariate stelle d’oro. Tanti sono infatti gli ex campioni iridati iscritti all’evento in programma la prossima settimana. Tra questi Robert Scheidt, Bruno Prada, Xavier Rohart, Mark Reynolds, Hal Haenel, Pelle Petterson, Anders Ekstrom, Hamish Pepper, Freddy Loof e altri ancora.
A voler fare qualche pronostico non si possono non indicare come favoriti almeno tre equipaggi. Il binomio da battere sembra infatti quello composto da Iain Percy ed Andrew Simpson, vincitori della medaglia d’oro a Pechino, ma anche Scheidt-Prada e Loof-Tillander non appaiono certo da meno. Un pensiero lo si potrebbe fare anche sui campioni uscenti Kusznierewicz-Zycki, ma sin dala vittoria iridata dello scorso anno non sono più stati così convincenti.
Partticolarmente nutrita sarà la rappresentanza italiana. Alberto Barovier proverà a dire la sua assieme a Nando Colaninno, mentre Nicola Celon sarà in coppia con Edoardo Natucci. Al via, tra gli altri azzurri, si presenterà anche il tre volte olimpionico Diego Negri.
Per consultare la entry list clicca qui.
READY FOR THE STAR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
[Source World Regatta] Robert Scheidt, Bruno Prada, Xavier Rohart, Mark Reynolds, Hal Haenel, Pelle Petterson, Anders Ekstrom, Hamish Pepper, Freddy Loof, Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Dominik Zycki, Alexander Hagen. What do they have in common? They are past and present Star World Champions and they represent just a fraction of the talent-laden 95-boat fleet that will be competing for the 2009 Star World Championship title in Varberg, Sweden during the first week of August.
If this year’s European championship regatta schedule, which has included such regattas as the Eastern European Championship, the Delta Lloyd Regatta, Kiel Week and the European Championship is the true indicator of who will grab this year’s title, it’s going to be a slugfest. Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (BRA) and Freddy Loof and Johan Tillander (SWE) spar against each other on Lake Garda and elevate the competition to fisticuffs when there are trophies at stake. Neither team has fallen out of the top four at the major regattas that they have attended this year and Scheidt -Prada have edged out Loof-Tillander more often than not. The most recent faceoff was at the European Championships early in July when Scheidt-Prada topped the fleet and beat 2008 Olympic Gold Medalists, Iain Percy and Andrew “Bart” Simpson (GBR) and Loof-Tillander by four points. The sailing was so tight that the combined scores of this three 2008 Olympic Medalist teams was less than the score for the fourth place boat.
Percy-Simpson will not be in the fray. Any team that tops Scheidt-Prada and Loof-Tillander will have to sail flawlessly and had better make sure that they approach the first weather mark of the final races of the 2009 Star World Championship well ahead and out of range of these savages.
Reigning Star World Champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Dominik Zycki (POL) have been MIA since the Olympics. If they approach this World Championship with a “nothing to lose and no pressure” attitude, they may come out on top again. Their boat is fast, but they are going to need afterburners to jet away from the Brazilians and the Swedes.
A handful of other teams have been posting terrific, but not headline grabbing, results this season. Americans Mark Mendelblatt and Mark Strube won the Delta Lloyd Regatta and have posted single digit finishes at each of the big European regattas that they have attended. Andrew Campbell (USA) has staged a formidable transition from the Laser to the Star with the help of his experienced crew, Brad Nichol. 2006 Star World Champion, Hamish Pepper (NZL) has been right in there with his new crew, Craig Monk.
Teams on an upward trend include two-time Star World Champion Xavier Rohart (FRA) with his new Star crew, Alexander Ponsot; Flavio Marazzi and Enrico De Maria (SUI) and Robert Stanjek and Markus Koy (GER). The list of who not to rule out is long – very long and it includes a number of Germans and Italians. Another team on the upward trend with a long way to go but with the determination of that little old ant that wants to move a rubber tree plant is David Tabb and Tom Peyton (GBR). The former 470, FD and Soling sailor and his young crew have moved from DFL at their first regatta, the Delta Lloyd Regatta, and out of the bottom quartile at the European Championship. It’s a testament to dogged determination and a major effort to soak up every tidbit of information about equipment and techniques from coaches and competitors who are more than willing to welcome these enthusiastic sailors into the Star class.
The upcoming 2009 Star World Championship, with 95 teams from 25 countries sailed in the land of the midnight sun will be a thriller. Stay tuned to www.StarClass.org, www.giveandgo.se and www.WorldRegattas.com.
To read the entry list click here.
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