Minoprio Wins Marseille International Match Race 2009

Posted by admin on 3/15/09 • Categorized as Marseille Int. Match Race,Tour News,Video

Adam Minoprio Wins First WMRT Event

In hard-fought 2-1 Final, young Kiwi team takes their first-ever Tour win

After a long day that had it all – starting with long delays with no wind, then light and shifty conditions, and ending with a building breeze and waves – 24-year old Adam Minoprio (NZL) and his Emirates Team New Zealand/BlackMatch Racing team of David Swete, Tom Powrie, and Dan McLean have won the Marseille International Match Race, the first event of the 2009 World Match Racing Tour. After two years of trying, this is Minoprio’s first-ever victory on the Tour, for which he and his team earn 10000 € of the 50000 € purse and 25 points on the Tour leader board.

In true understated Kiwi style, Minoprio was modest in expressing his pleasure about the win, saying

“We got two seconds last year, and to finally break the curse and earn a win here is great.”

Minoprio had two formidable French obstacles on his path to victory today, starting with Damien Iehl and his French Match Racing Team, who he met in the Semi-Finals. But the series did not start off well, as the Kiwis misjudged the start and were caught over the line early at the gun. Unfazed, Minoprio and team kept their focus in the light and shifty conditions to find a little advantage on the right side of the course and gain back enough to pass Iehl in the middle of the first windward leg.

Meanwhile in Petite-Final action, Mirsky avenged his loss to Richard in the Semi’s by defeating Iehl in straight matches 2-0.

Appropriate to this beautiful setting on the Mediterranean coast, organizers from the YC Pointe Rouge at the prize giving ceremony awarded Minoprio not only his prize money cheque for 10000 €, but also his 85 kg weight equivalent in bottles of Chateau La Coste Coteaux L’Aix-en-Provence wine!

Article provided by Dobbs Davis

Final Results