Newly appointed WMRT Chief Executive, Jim O’Toole, commented on the deal which will also see the new official apparel range made available to the general public via the Sail Racing online store, “This is a key new relationship for the Tour. Sail Racing’s brand concept fits perfectly with the plans we have for the ongoing development of the Tour brand. We share core values such as creativity and innovation and look forward to building our clothing business to mutual benefit”

Sail Racing has worked with some of the most successful sailing events in the world such as; the Volvo Ocean Race and Nokia Oops Cup.  The specialist sports clothing brand has also been associated with the Swedish America’s Cup Victory Challenge Team, the Audi/Q8 Team racing a TP52 in the Audi Med Cup as well as Red Bull Extreme Sailing.

Henric Wikestam, Managing Director at Sail Racing is pleased to have formed a partnership with the world’s leading professional racing series and noted the significance of this latest development for the company, “Partnering with such a successful sports brand is a very positive step for Sail Racing, we have watched the Tour’s recent growth under the new leadership team with keen interest and are ready to be part of the ambitious global expansion plans. We are very excited to provide the Tour team with a clothing range which we are convinced will appeal to all members of the WMRT community including officials, teams, media and fans”.

Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, one of only 9 selected international 2010 WMRT Tour card holders, has also been signed up to wear the brand and will be endorsing the ‘Sail Racing 50 KTS Race Edition’ this season.  Currently ranked 6^th on the official ISAF World Match Racing Tour standings after finishing 2^nd place overall at last year’s Tour, Mirsky is delighted with the partnership, “it’s great to be associated with a strong brand like Sail Racing, they have realized the future direction of sailing and are always one step ahead of the competition in terms of design, fashion and quality.  It is the same direction in which our team is heading”.

Sail Racing also selected the esteemed Swedish racer, Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge, to help develop their technical lines since the inception of the company.  Holmberg, who has been ranked No.1 in the World Match Race Tour standings and was crowned ISAF Match Racing World Champion from 2000-2001, is a key member of the Sail Racing clothing test team.  The triple Olympian also has two America’s Cup campaigns under his belt and has been dedicated to match racing since 1991, this year he is again taking part in a number of the 2010 Tour Stages.  This Tour veteran has initiated Sail Racing’s inclusion in a number of high profile sailing projects and is the important link between the World Match Racing Tour and the leading sports clothing line.

The World Match Racing Tour line of Sail Racing Clothing will in the near future be available for purchase by the general public via the online store at www.sailracing.com.

Stage 2 of the 2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour – Lake Constance Heats up for Match Race Germany.

The 13th edition of Match Race Germany, Stage 2 of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), will be starting on May 19th and running through to May 24th. Match Race Germany is one of the longest running events on the infamous World Match Racing Tour that encompasses a massive 10 regatta series during 2010, over a 9 month period. The racing will be live on the internet this year, a first for Match Race Germany, which is seeking to attract a wider worldwide fan base.

The 12 team line up from 8 different countries will again provide some spectacular match racing at the picturesque Langenargen, Germany on Lake Constance. Top names include current ISAF Match Racing World Champion; Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team; – legendary match racer with 15 WMRT event wins to his name; Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – winner of the 2010 Stage 1 event; Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team – double ISAF Match Racing World Champion; Ian Williams (GBR) Sail Bahrain – Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia – 2010 tour card holder; Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team – come back king; Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge – furious Dane and previous Match Race Germany winner; Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team as well as Mads Ebler (DEN) Ebler Matchracing and Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team

Match Race Germany has attracted these top helms not only through the promise of valuable World Match Racing Tour ranking points and high quality race management, but also for prize money in excess of US$60,000. Competition will be tough especially with lake racing involved, Richard enjoys the challenge of Lake Constance,

“the conditions in Langenargen are often very hard and difficult to sail, but I love it!”.

2010 will also see the first ever female to helm at Match Race Germany. Kathrin Kadelbach (GER) EWE Sailing Team will be racing with her tactician, Ulrike Schümann, this duo are also campaigning for the Games to be held at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy in 2012. Schümann explained the team dynamics, “with light winds, women do not have a big disadvantage, and for the strong winds we will have 3 strong men in our crew who will have to work a little harder”.

The Southern Germany location is proud to be hosting this prestigious event seen locally as a sailing festival. Eberhard Magg, organiser of Match Race Germany, commented,

“we are very happy to once again be able to present a high calibre world class fleet to our predicted 40,000 fans and visitors again. Match Race Germany is, and will stay a magnet for sailing heroes and upcoming stars at international level, which is made possible through support and encouragement from our sponsors”.

All the action from this professional sailing series will be streamed live for 2010 via the internet and big screens at the event venue with the addition of Nils Kaben, the renowned German TV sailing expert, commentating on the activity.

Training will be available for 2 hours to each team on May 19 where some will experience for the first time the Bavaria Match 35 yachts designed by German manufacturers, Bavaria Yachtbau.

Sailors, families and WMRT fans will be able to enjoy the festival atmosphere of Langenargen during Match Race Germany. A family friendly programme will be available with free entry to the event village including; live music, interactive entertainment, international food and drink stalls and on site taster sailing sessions for children.

(*) please note that the final skipper list for Stage 2 will be announced shortly.

Follow the day’s action live at the Official World Match Racing Tour site.

There will be occasional updates on our Twitter Feed too: http://www.twitter.com/mirskyracing

Marseille, 9 April 2010

Over the last 3 days WMRT followers have enjoyed 18 flights to now secure 8 skippers into the Quarter Finals from the original 12 invited competitors. The sustainable multi event series over a massive 9 month period is propelling the World Match Racing Tour forwards into the ‘global sports brand’ category, which sailing deserves to occupy alongside the likes of the PGA Tour with a loyal global audience.

Kings of the 2009 World Match Racing Tour, Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch Racing, Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team and Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN, are still on top of the scoreboard really reinforcing their excellence through consistent strategically considered build up training. Top of today’s game is the Tour’s youngest helm in the slick Mirsky Racing Team at 23 years old.

Torvar has a maturity beyond his years when talking us through commitment to his sporting profession,

“We feel we’ve prepared properly for the start of this year’s World Match Racing Tour and that’s paid off. We always knew we would be one of the tougher teams to beat, we are pleased with our consistent performance to date and the team is now looking forward to the rest of Match Race France”.

The sailing Gods distilled a different set of fortunes on Peter Gilmour (AUS), YANMAR Racing. Along with two other French nationals, he has been knocked out at this early stage.

Gilmour who has been racing this week with his 18 year old son, David, said, “We are obviously a little disappointed but we are taking the positives with us, it has been a good start to the 2010 World Match Racing Tour and we will be back in full force at Match Race Germany during May”.

The Quarter Finals competitor list has half of the skippers currently assigned to global America’s Cup syndicates; this will ensure aggressive style manoeuvres for tomorrow’s Round Robin matches off Escale Borely Beach. The new race course location shifts the Tour into a ‘weekend mode’ with a more intense atmosphere on the start line and a public orientated set up on the shore. This integrated mix of satisfying the competitors and spectators across each of WMRT’s 10 events will continue to develop the professional sailing series into a recognised global sporting brand that appeals to so many.

Waiting for Wind. Marseille 2009 - Photo David Fuller

Does Local Knowledge Eclipse Experience?

Marseille, 8 April 2010 – Day Two of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) in Marseille has produced a range of results that has highlighted not only match racing experience but also local knowledge as top running variables that can make or break a professional sailing series. After a slow start to the morning with racing postponed, the sailors were let out onto the race course as the wind clocked in from the North West at 4 to 8 knots for the remainder of the day. Racing again in the Bay of Marseille was moved very close in-shore with excellent spectator appeal to the ‘Rade Sud’.

Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN and Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team are still both on top of the WMRT leader board after today with 11 flights now completed overall. Ainslie has more wins than any other helm so far this week with a current score of 5-1. At a glance it could be said that international match racers with a raft of consistent accolades are steam rolling Match Race France, but the less glamorous placing currently being experienced by the likes of Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing and Francesco Bruni (ITA) Team Azzurra tells a different story.

Bruni who won the Congressional Cup only 12 days ago related, “it is tough out there, today has really reminded me about spending time training at particular sailing venues prior to events”, a luxury afforded by Olympic dinghy sailors who train months in advance at a set destination for their annual World Championships. “I think more time on the water with your coach really getting to grips with the region’s quirks is a definite advantage”. This is not an option for the WMRT competitors who only have a small window of 2 hours to train on the race course area at each of the 10 venues before racing starts the subsequent day.

This leads us into the scenario of ‘local knowledge’ being a serious variable to win races at this venue. Local knowledge is a phenomenon respected the world over by the sailing fraternity. The indigenous racers revel in understanding that they have decades of tales fed in at an early age on which way to go up the all important first beat or if the rain clouds suddenly disperse and the islands appear, as happened today, then the trend is for the wind to always swing to a particular angle.

However, the Bay of Marseille has no clear answers, even French national sailors have been experiencing the woes of highly testing conditions. Pacé, a previous ISAF Match Racing World Champion who has returned to the WMRT action, after a 5 year absence, is not shining in these Mediterranean style winds. Perris our newest match racing star from yesterday has also unfortunately awoken from his ‘dream’ with no victorious matches today.

There is no clear winner today between racing experience or local knowledge; it will remain a question as to which has the greater influence until the penultimate race on Sunday. Perhaps Marseille with its legendary world famous tale of ‘a man in an iron mask’ will remain shrouded in its charming cloak of mystery both on and off the water.

See all the video action at the official World Match Racing Tour YouTube Channel.

Marseille, France, 7 April 2010 – Torvar Mirsky leads on day 0ne of Match Race France

Match Race France, the first event of the 2010 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), has launched in style at Marseille today. The Opening Ceremony was attended by all of the 12 skippers and crew, WMRT team, Tour umpires, Yacht Club Pointe Rogue organisers and media.

Christian Tommasini, President of Yacht Club Pointe Rouge at the opening ceremony said,

“we are very happy to have such an exceptional sporting platform here in Marseille with Match Race France. I would like to thank the City of Marseille for their financial support in making this event happen and the confidence that the World Match Racing Tour has in our team to organise a successful event”.

Mediterranean style conditions during the morning favoured the local hero Gian Luca Perris (MON) and the late afternoon allowed Mirsky (AUS), ranked number 2 in the WMRT standings, to show is consistent ability to build a racing series in all conditions. Mirsky won his 2 matches this morning and also 2 matches this afternoon in totally different racing conditions which is a vital ingredient for those helms aiming to win this World Sailing Series and be crowned ISAF Sailing World Champion.

The race committee worked through the majority of the day in variable winds of only 7 – 10 knots in the Bay of Marseille completing a commendable 2 flights in shifting wind patterns. This was to the advantage of wild card entry, Perris from the Principality of Monaco, who surprised not only himself today but also the high profile Tour Card Holders. Perris, a new face to WMRT, was off to a strong start 2 nil up against Adam Minoprio (NZL) and Torvar Mirsky (AUS) ranked number 1 and 2 in the world rankings. The wind then moderated to conditions unable to hold a fair race and the racing was postponed until further notice with all competitors returning to the shore.

The newest European match racing star and also owner of a successful cosmetics and perfumery company talked through his excellent start to Match Race France,

“I started sailing J24’s for leisure and my friendship with pro crews who are regulars on the international match racing circuit motivated me into trying to secure a spot to race within the World Match Racing Tour”. This move from amateur sailing into professional racing was only 3 years ago and by today’s results was a good decision. “Today has been the highlight of my sailing career it has been our dream to compete at a World Match Racing Tour event”.

The forecast then took an unpredicted change, keeping all the sailors on their toes, as the temperature suddenly dropped the rain clouds rolled in, winds increased to 15 knots from the North West and racing was started quickly to make the most of the favourable conditions.

Luckily for Mirsky, the conditions were also within his abilities to secure top results throughout the afternoon.

“I have really dedicated my training over the last year to hone my boat handling skills with my Mirsky Racing Team so we are both effective in light and strong winds. This is our strength at the moment as normally sailors from the Southern hemisphere struggle in the Mediterranean style variable conditions. I feel confident for tomorrow as we are not worried about the forecast which can be a huge psychological barrier for a lot of helms to overcome”.

Tomorrow the weather conditions are meant to be 11 knots from the North for early morning, veering round to the North West by late afternoon as the wind again moderates to 6 knots, but as today demonstrated the regional variables could produce anything. Thursday will be day 2 of Match Race France for the skippers, both sailors and fans will wait to see if our new star from Monaco can keep up with the likes of Mirsky, who is ‘sailor of the day’ today with his consistent results.

Get Live Updates from the World Match Racing Tour online blog at: http://www.wmrt.com/live-from-marseille.html

Event though the tour is under new ownership – the venues and events announced are unchanged from the current season though new venues are also being targeted.

Peter Gilmour said in the latest World Yacht Racing Forum newsletter:

We are actively looking for new venues and want to add two new events each year for at least the next three years. We already have interest from 7 venues. We are also looking to build on the management team and are actively looking for a Commercial Director and CEO, along with a PR and media team.”

The system of ‘Tour cards’ which gave seeded teams automatic entry into events in 2009, will be revised for 2010. 9 skippers and teams with guaranteed invites to six events of their choice for the year. Tour Director Craig Mitchell said:

“The Tour Card policy was first introduced at the beginning of the 2009 and overall it worked well but in order to improve upon it we have made a few revisions for next year.”

The calendar announced today is as follows:

• April 6 – 11 : Marseille International Match Race Marseille, France
• May 19 – 24 : Match Race Germany Langenargen, Germany
• June 8 – 13 : Korea Match Cup Gyeonggi, Korea
• June 22 – 27 : Troia Portugal Match Cup Troia, Portugal
• July 5 – 11 : Match Cup Sweden Marstrand, Sweden
• Aug 31 – Sept 5 : St Moritz Match Race St Moritz, Switzerland
• Sept 8 – 12 : Danish Open TBC, Denmark
• October 4 – 10 : Argo Group Gold Cup Hamilton, Bermuda
• Nov 30 – Dec 5 : Monsoon Cup K.Terengganu, Malaysia

We have welcomed the change of ownership, with a belief that the Tour will benefit from increased investment. Certainly if the prize pool for the 2009 Monsoon Cup is anything to go by, the World Match Racing Tour may be able to deliver a truly professional global sailing series.

The Monsoon Cup, which starts later this week in Malaysia, is offering total prize money of MYR1.57m (US$ 454,000). The winner pockets MYR 360,000 (US$104,000) while the last team (12th place) receives MYR 50,000 (US$14,400).

Monsoon Cup Race Advisor, Datuk Peter Gilmour said,

‘This makes the regatta the biggest prize pool available throughout all sailing events in 2009. Importantly, the Monsoon Cup marks the final stage of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) where the ISAF World Champion will be crowned.’

Gilmour noted that the increase in prize money is attributed to the increased sponsorship commitments from the key sponsors and the State Government of Terengganu in providing such outstanding facilities and intra-government support that takes the event to a new level.

While there are many pretenders to the overused and largely misleading phrase, ‘the F1 of sailing’, the World Match Racing Tour is probably the only sailing event that comes close. It is truly global, visiting more diverse markets than any other event on an annual basis. It features some of the worlds best professional sailors and confers upon the winner the genuine title of World Champion.

Leaving aside the fact that it is effectively a ‘one-make’ championship, the World Match Racing Tour has the potential to deliver a truly recognisable World Championship outside of the Olympic classes.

The Monsoon Cup is owned and organised by the same team that has now acquired the Tour commercial rights. If other events on the Tour are to be run in the same manner, with the same prize money, then it will attract attention from sailors, sponsors and media alike.

Like many sailing platforms, The Monsoon Cup is backed by Government tourism and development budgets. It is project of the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports and it is proudly hosted by the State of Terengganu and is supported by key sponsors Richard Mille, TM, Cartrade Group (CTG), Astro, Firefly Airline, and Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa.

Like many, we are eager to learn more about the plans for the WMRT 2010 and beyond.