World Match Racing Tour, prossima fermata Troia
Match RaceVelaWorld Match Race Tour 16 Giugno 2009 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic=2630,300,204,,left]World Match Racing Tour – Troia – A meno di due settimane dal successo di Paolo Cian nella Korea Match Cup, il World Match Racing Tour torna a far parlare di sé mandando in scena la Troia Portugal Mach Cup, evento da disputarsi a Troia con un montepremi complessivo di 50.000 Euro.
Assenti gli italiani, tra i protagonisti annunciati dell’evento sono senzaa dubbio Torvar Mirsky e Adam Minoprio, reduci da una settimana di allenamento intensivo a bordo degli SM40 di Victory Challenge, Sebastien Col, desideroso di rivincite dopo il pessimo avvio di stagione, Mathieu Richard, terzo nella classifica del circuito e da sempre a suo agio sugli scafi scelti per questa tappa lusitana, e Peter Gilmour, tornato alla grande nel giro che conta.
Al via anche altri big, come il due volte iridato Ian Williams, Philippe Presti, cui è andata la Tour Card originariamente assegnata ad Alinghi, e Bjorn Hansen, al via con un nuovo sponsor e nuove aspettative.
Tra i possibili outsider il portoghese Alvaro Marinho, qualificatosi grazie al successo nel Campeonato Absoluto e Match Race, e il sudafricano Ian Ainslie, vecchia conoscenza del circuito.
Le regate avranno inizio domani e si concluderanno domenica.
Troia Match Cup
Adam Minoprio (NZL), ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing
Ian Williams (GBR), Bahrain Team Pindar
Mathieu Richard (FRA), French Match Racing Team
Sebastien Col (FRA), French Match Racing Team/K Challenge
Peter Gilmour (AUS), Yanmar Racing
Bjorn Hansen (SWE), Team Onica
Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Mirsky Racing Team
Philippe Presti (FRA), French Match Racing Team
Ian Ainslie (RSA), Team Proximo
Phil Robertson (NZL), Waka Racing
Alvaro Marinho (POR), Seth Sailing Team
Andrej Arbuzov (RUS)
NEXT STOP PORTUGAL
[World Match Racing Tour Press Release] Hot on the heels of the hugely popular Korea Match Cup comes the Troia Portugal Match Cup. Sailed in the purpose designed SM40 at the tip of the Troia peninsula the Troia Portugal Match Cup will see 12 teams racing for a share of the €50,000 prize purse and valuable World Championship points.
Leading the charge is ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing’s Adam Minoprio, (NZL), who has been spending some time in Valencia training on Victory Challenges SM40’s along with fellow antipodean Torvar Mirsky, (AUS) Mirsky Racing. Both teams are hungry for points towards their standings and will be giving it all they’ve got.
Defending Troia Portugal Match Cup Champion Sébastien Col’s French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge will be looking to turn the run of poor form of recent events and set his Championship hopes alight again with a good result.
Fellow Frenchman Mathieu Richard and his French Match Racing Team are currently third in the Tour rankings and will be confident about getting a good result with their strong track record in the SM40 having won in Brazil in 2007.
Back on the Tour with a new sponsor, Yanmar Racing’s Peter Gilmour, AUS, will be looking to emulate his success in Portugal in 2007 when he wiped out Ian Williams’, Bahrain Team Pindar 3-0 in the finals. Williams however will want to forget that particular encounter and will no doubt be primed and ready for a revenge attack on the seasoned Australian campaigner.
New Tour Card holder, Philippe Presti, FRA, French Match Racing Team has taken some time to build momentum this year and Troia will be the place for him to start his assault on the World Championship, the two time winner of the Finn Gold Cup and helmsman for Luna Rossa may not be the favourite going into the event but should be one to watch.
After a strong showing in Korea Bjorn Hansen, SWE, Team Onica, will return to Portugal with renewed vigour and with the knowledge that he needs to get some points on the Tour leader board if he intends to challenge for the world title.
Adding a little bit of the unknown to the line up are Ian Ainslie (RSA), Team Proximo and a young Kiwi team, Phil Robertson’s WAKA Racing. Ainslie is no stranger to the Tour and is currently ranked 10th by ISAF and could well take a few of the more favoured scalps given the opportunity. For Robertson Portugal will be his first Tour event though he has also secured an entry to the Danish Open later this year after winning the Warren Jones Youth Regatta. Young he may be but short on experience he isn’t having arrived in Europe early on this year to put in some serious hours match racing.
The Tour Qualifier Series has produced two teams for the Portugal Match Cup this year. The Campeonato Absoluto de Match Race has given Alvaro Marinho, POR, Seth Sailing Team his opportunity to take on the Worlds best and the Cleanport Winter Challenge hands Andrej Arbuzov, RUS a return ticket to the Tour after the Danish Open last year.
Racing starts on Wednesday 17 June with news, pictures, results and video updates available on www.wmrt.org
Troia Match Cup
Adam Minoprio (NZL), ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing
Ian Williams (GBR), Bahrain Team Pindar
Mathieu Richard (FRA), French Match Racing Team
Sebastien Col (FRA), French Match Racing Team/K Challenge
Peter Gilmour (AUS), Yanmar Racing
Bjorn Hansen (SWE), Team Onica
Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Mirsky Racing Team
Philippe Presti (FRA), French Match Racing Team
Ian Ainslie (RSA), Team Proximo
Phil Robertson (NZL), Waka Racing
Alvaro Marinho (POR), Seth Sailing Team
Andrej Arbuzov (RUS)
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