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Match Race Germany 2010 - Aussies to battle in Quarter Finals
Match Race Germany is the second event of the 2010 ISAF World Match Race
Tour and day 3 has delivered good results for two Australian teams, who will
now meet in the Quarter Finals.
At Langenargen on Lake Constance, Germany, competitors and spectators
enjoyed plenty of sun, blue skies, and a light westerly breeze. The left
hand (offshore) side of the course has been favoured over the last few days
and today with the westerly blowing, there was more pressure on that side of
the course.
Peter Gilmour and his YANMAR Racing crew of Christian Ponthieu, Nils
Bjerkas, Yasuhiro Yaji and Martin Berntsson
are aiming for their fourth Match Race Germany title and today's results did
not hurt their chances.
YANMAR Racing had to complete three more matches before the Quarter Final
cut and started the day on five wins and three losses.
Their first match was against Ian Ainslie (Team Proximo RSA). Ainslie
started alone at the favoured pin end but was a little early and had to
slow, while Gilmour had room to build good speed down the line. Gilmour
managed to hold his position to windward and with the speed advantage was
first around the windward mark, ahead of Ainslie. Gilmour made gains down
the run, something he has been doing consistently throughout the Round Robin
series.
Up the second beat Gilmour protected the favoured left hand side and had a
big lead as they headed down the run. YANMAR Racing took the win, to go to
6-3.
In their second match, another veteran skipper Magnus Holmberg (Victory
Challenge SWE) was up against Gilmour. YANMAR Racing were slow into the box
and Holmberg controlled the prestart.
Yasuhiro Yaji, the YANMAR Racing Pitman told the story. 'We made a mistake -
we were late and that cost us the start but we managed to come back. We were
five lengths behind at the top mark; we gained almost four lengths on the
first run. They protected the left on the second beat and made a small gain.
'From the top mark for the second time, we gained with a simultaneous gybe
and closed up rapidly. We overlapped them and their spinnaker was
collapsing.
'But Magnus was able to gybe for clear air just before the line, it was very
close and we only just lost by a metre.'
The last match of the Round Robins for YANMAR Racing was against the Danish
skipper Jesper Radich (Radich Sailing Team). Gilmour won the start but only
just and led at the top mark by only a length. He engaged the Danish team in
a luffing match and succeeded in getting Radich penalised. While Radich was
fast in doing his 270, Gilmour sailed away and by the end of the second beat
was six lengths ahead and went onto cross for a comfortable win.
The win gave YANMAR Racing a scorecard of 7-4 which put them through to the
quarter finals.
Yaji smiled after the quarter final match ups. 'We were aiming for three
wins today - sometimes yesterday our starts were not as good as they could
have been, but we improved today.
'Against Ian Ainslie we had good speed, good tactics. In our match against
Holmberg we came back from an ordinary start, to lose by just a metre.
'Against Radich, our match racing tactics were better; we were only just
ahead of them but we forced penalties. After the Round Robins we finished
fourth, Torvar Mirsky (Mirsky Racing Team) fifth.
'None of the top three skippers wanted to choose us. I guess our record here
causes concern, so Torvar Mirsky had no choice.'
Gilmour and his YANMAR Racing team are confident they can repeat their
Monsoon Cup result against Mirsky, when they knocked his Mirsky Racing Team
out at the quarter final stage, possibly costing MRT the 2009 World Match
Racing Tour championship.
Mirsky, with a steely glint in his eyes, said 'We look forward to taking on
Gilly in the quarters, we have unfinished business with him.'
Gilmour summed up. 'It will be a big day tomorrow, first up against our
fellow West Australians. We are confident, our sailing is getting better, we
had good wins and even if we lost the starts we were very competitive and we
are ready for some tight matches ahead.'
Semi Finalist
Mathieu Richard French Match Racing Team FRA 8-3
Quarter Finals
Torvar Mirsky MRT AUS 7-4 vs. Peter Gilmour Yanmar Racing AUS 7-4
Adam Minoprio ETNZ Black Match NZL 8-3 vs. Magnus Holmberg Victory Challenge
SWE 6-5
Ian Williams Team Pindar GRB 8-3 vs. Jesper Radich Radich Sailing Team DEN
7-4
8th Paolo Cian Team Italia ITA 5-6
9th Ian Ainslie Team Proximo RSA 4-7
10th Mats Ebler Ebler Match Racing DEN 3-8
11th Kathrin Kadelbach Ewe Sailing Team GER 2-9
12th Bjorn Hansen Gill Global Team SWE 1-10
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