The Sunseeker Australia Cup took place after an 8 year hiatus in front of the City of Perth, acting as a warm up event to the World Tour final in Malaysia being held this week. It boasted an exceptional line up with many teams taking full advantage of the Foundation 36′s which are also used in the Monsoon Cup.

The Mirsky Racing Team lead the first stage, and with the power to pick they chose to race Francesco Bruni and his Team Azzura who came to Perth fresh off their win at the Louis Vuitton series raced in Nice.

After two races, this looked to be a detrimental decision, as they were down two races with no lives to spare. When all hope looked to be lost, the locals turned the heat on and came back with three straight wins.

“We have never come back like that, being two wins down” said tactician Kyle Langford after the team came through. “Although it put a lot of pressure on us, it was really perfect training for the Monsoon Cup because we are going to be under the pump the whole time here.”

The final day was raced in front of a fleet of spectator boats who lined the course to get as close to the action as they could. The team chose to race the other local hero Keith Swinton, which would guarantee a Perth team in the final and despite a strong fight by Black Swan Racing, MRT went through to face the strong favourites Ben Ainslie and his Team Origin.

With an injury and the Monsoon Cup in mind, MRT’s trimmer Kinley Fowler stepped off the boat for the final series, but with Azzura’s highly experienced trimmer Pierre Luigi stepping on board, they had no trouble getting into stride.

With the local crowd behind them, they took out the series 2-0 in the perfect lead up to the World Tour final. With only 12 points standing between them and BlackMatch Racing, this year’s World Champion could well be the youngest in its history.

Mirsky Racing Team take the lead of the Sunseeker Australia Cup at the completion of the round robin, but are left with the task of facing Louis Vuitton Champions, Team Azzura in the quarterfinals.

Finishing with 7 wins and 2 losses MRT topped the leader board with Kiwi rivals Adam Minoprio and Team Pindar helmed by Ian Williams but the count back system gave MRT the advantage.

MRT will now face Francesco Bruni and Team Azzura in a best to 3 point quarter finals. Azzura is hot off a win in France last week over Team New Zealand in the Louis Vuitton Trophy so there is bound to be some sparks flying between the local team and the new Americas Cup powerhouse team.

Racing has been taking place in Perth Waters right in front of the Perth CBD which has been a perfect venue for teams which has displayed very shifty conditions keeping competitors on their toes.

The Australia Cup is serving as a warm up event for most teams competing next week in the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia with current Tour leaders ETNZ Blackmatch showing fine form this morning defeated Team French Spirit 3-0 in their quarterfinal match.

MRT has been entertaining spectators and supporters on the Barrick St jetty with a floating bar which acts as an ideal location to watch the worlds top sailors battle only metres from the bar, racing will take place from 1pm on Saturday and Sunday on Perth Waters and any spectators are welcome to MRT Floating Bar on the western side of the Barrick St jetty.

Results:
Quarterfinals -

• MRT (Torvar Mirsky) AUS vs. Azzura (Francesco Bruni) ITA
• Team Pindar (Ian Williams) GBR vs. Black Swan Racing (Keith Swinton) AUS
• ETNZ Blackmatch (Adam Minoprio) NZL def French Spirit (Matheui Richard) FRA 3-0
• Team Origin (Ben Ainslie) GBR def Waka Racing (Phil Robertson) NZL 3-1
• 9th Seve Jarvin AUS
• 10th KA Match (Evan Walker) AUS

Not to be outdone by local Perth talent Torvar Mirsky (Australia) and Adam Minoprio (New Zealand) who both won three from three matches respectively. Sunseeker Australia Cup organiser and former America’s Cup winner Skip Lissiman said Williams was the standout performance after day one. “We had challenging conditions that were very flustery and a new course in Perth waters that none of the Skippers had sailed in so it is impressive that Williams won four from four on day one,” Lissiman said.

Skip added he was very pleased with how well the Perth water course had worked. “The tight course in Perth waters puts incredible pressure on the crews which ensures we have some incredible viewing near the Barrack street jetty area. I even had people saying they watched the racing action from their offices,” he said.

Perth skipper Torvar Mirsky said he enjoyed getting back out on water this morning. “The team hasn’t sailed together since the Match Cup in Sweden, so it was great to get back on the water together and go through our paces,” Mirksy said.

“We had three races in Matilda bay and won all three and I am happy with that result. We’ve had great conditions so far, the wind was strong and it looks like it staying here. It will be good to get back out and race the rest of the ten teams and firm up a solid lead,” he said.

Conditions were excellent, with strong SSW winds blowing at 12 knots with morning racing occurring in Matilda Bay and then the afternoon contests in Perth Waters. The teams are ready for some fierce competition during day two, with the tight Perth Waters course and close shoreline viewing aiming to please competitors and spectators alike.

Thanks to a generous donation by Rottnest Express, the Mirsky Racing Team are able to host the Perth public on a modified ferry with a cash bar, live commentary, a split level indoor/outdoor spectator platform, and regular appearances by the Australia Cup competitors. Free to enter, the bar will be open daily from 1pm through to 8pm from this Thursday through to Sunday.

The Australia Cup is a showdown between the top teams on the International sailing circuit in the build up to the World Championship grand final starts on the 1st of December in Malaysia. So the Sunseeker Australia Cup can boast a world class line up, with three time Olympic Gold Medallist Ben Ainslie, current Match Racing World Champions Bahrain Team Pindar, the current tour leaders BlackMatch Racing, and of course Perth’s own Mirsky Racing Team and many more putting on a show for
the people of Perth.

So come down and cheer on your locals, or just enjoy a drink in the MRT Australia Cup Floating Bar.

More Information about the Sunseeker Australia Cup.

With a cohort of sailing greats arriving in Perth for the Sunseeker Australia Cup, Western Australia is again on the world sporting stage.

The ten world ranked skippers and their teams touchdown mid-week for this exclusive invitation only event from 26-29 November.

The action packed racing schedule will see the who’s who of professional sailing battle it out in Foundation 36 one design Yachts, marking the first time city waters has hosted competitive sailing in Perth’s 145 year history.

Swan River Sailing Executive Officer and former America’s Cup winner, Skip Lissiman said the four day event is sure to produce some exhilarating match racing, with unprecedented close shoreline viewing and a tight course sure to flaunt the skill and team work of these elite athletes.

‘With the course so close to land and a tight challenging space you can be guaranteed some fast action-packed sailing. This is your chance to see the world’s best yacht racing right on the city’s doorstep, the opportunity to see a mini America’s Cup on Perth waters – don’t miss it!’

Perth has built a reputation as one of the World’s more renowned and reliable sailing cities; and this unique event promises to cement Perth’s place a prestigious sailing hub of the Southern Hemisphere – a precursor to next year’s America’s Cup and Malaysia’s Monsoon Cup next month.

The Monsoon Cup is the ultimate decider of the 2009 World Match Racing Tour, and with final positioning and considerable prize money at stake; top Tour skippers are keen to fine-tune crew skills and experience at the Sunseeker Australia Cup just one week prior to the showdown.

The Sunseeker Australia Cup was first held in January 1982 at Royal Perth Yacht Club to provide the best skippers from various countries the opportunity to build their match racing skills in preparation for the America’s Cup.

Royal Perth Yacht Club (RPYC) Vice Commodore, Mike Kilcullen said history has proved that The Australia Cup provided invaluable match racing practice for the competing skippers.

‘The inaugural Australia Cup winner John Bertrand went on to win the 1983 America’s Cup in Newport, Rhode Island onboard Australia II, breaking the longest winning streak which was 132 years in sporting history. The Australia Cup was a vital step in this historic victory,’

Swan River Sailing Executive Officer and former America’s Cup winner, Skip Lissiman said it is a great coup for the event organisers to present such a high calibre of sailing after the Australia Cup’s eight-year hiatus.

‘We are delighted with the very high standard of the skippers and their teams returning to the Sunseeker Australia Cup. Surprisingly most have been to Perth and either sailed or raced in the Foundation 36 yachts before, with Ben Ainslie sailing in the last Australia Cup and six of the 10 teams competing in the International Warren Jones Youth Regatta in Foundation 36 yachts. It is a great pleasure to welcome these elite sailors back to our magnificent city to compete.’

‘With the final event of the World Match Racing Tour held so soon after the Sunseeker Australia Cup, the teams competing in Perth will have a distinct advantage when they go head to head at the decider of the 2009 Tour – The Monsoon Cup.’

The team has returned to their Yacht Club’s home town of Perth, who will be playing host to a number of the top teams in contention for the World Championship title next week in the Sunseeker Australia Cup.

“Our training has been going well” said the team’s skipper, Torvar Mirsky “but the Aus Cup is going to be a great chance to measure ourselves against the others before the Monsoon Cup.”

MRT is the closest team to Adam Minoprio and his BlackMatch Racing team, trailing by only 12 points. With the two youngest teams in hot contention for the title, the fight in Malaysia is set to be a fierce one. Minoprio’s team has a lead that allows them some breathing room, but MRT have been working closely with Greg Kerr, the team’s physiotherapist, and recent coaching improvements have allowed them to reflect upon and improve on their mistakes, so you could see a new team in Malaysia.

Cheer on Perth’s own Mirsky Racing Team as they compete against the worlds best match race sailors in this lead up event to the world championship final in Malaysia.

• 1300-2000 Thursday the 26th of November
• 1300-2000 Friday the 27th of November
• 1300-2000 Saturday the 28th of November
• 1300-2000 Sunday the 29th of November

Features

• Free entry
• Cash bar serving Big Brook wine’s, beer, soft drinks, and snacks
• Split level indoor/outdoor air-conditioned spectator platform opposite race start line.
• Live race commentary
• Regular appearances by Torvar Mirsky and the Mirsky Racing Team

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