2011 World Match Racing Tour

[MLovett]

Chasing Pack Out to Unsettle Championship Frontrunners in Malaysia

Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia – 22, November 2011: While recent news headlines have focused largely on Ian Williams, Francesco Bruni and Torvar Mirsky to win the 2011 ISAF Match Racing World Championship, several skippers including Bjorn Hansen have made clear their intention on the eve of the Monsoon Cup to cause a few upsets and snatch the world title at the final event.

The ceremonial duties have concluded and the talking has finished in Kuala Terengganu where four-time Match Racing World Champion Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing and Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team, currently fourth and fifth in the Tour standings respectively, lead a pack of teams each looking to beat the top three.

Speaking ahead of his opening match against Jesper Radich, Bjorn Hansen, said: “It’s an outside chance to win the Championship but it’s still a chance. There’s a fine line between winning and losing on the Tour and we’re certainly gunning for at least a podium finish. We’ve beaten all these guys [Williams, Bruni and Mirsky] this season and there would be no better time to do it again than at the Monsoon Cup. It would cap what has been a great season for us.”

If Williams, Bruni and Mirsky are looking over their shoulders at the likes of Gilmour and Hansen, they should also be wary of the other teams’ intentions. Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing can’t win the Championship but has singled out third placed Mirsky as the man he’d like to beat in the knock-out stages: “It’s awesome to get to the biggest event of the year,” said the Kiwi. “This is definitely the one you want to be at - for us this has been our goal the whole year to win the Monsoon Cup qualifier and get here. It’s our third World Match Racing Tour event so we’re looking to try and make an impact this time and have a better result than what we have in the past.”

“Our goal is to win as many races as we can and there’s no reason why we can’t take a few big scalps – we’re determined and we’re out there to win it really. A lot of the boys in our team would love to race Torvar Mirsky in the quarter. To beat him would be pretty special.”

As the winner of the Malaysian Match Racing Championships, Jeremy Koo (MAS) Abdullah Chan/KRT received an invitation to the 2011 Monsoon Cup where he’s competed on several occasions. Koo, who was a member of China’s America’s Cup team in 2007, posted his best performances at the Monsoon Cup in 2006 and 2007 when he mustered one win, a result he hopes to surpass this year: “It’s a pleasure to race the top sailors in the world and a real honour to be here but while we respect the other teams, we’re also here to beat them.”

Asked how he has prepared for this event, Koo added: “We’re looking for a couple of wins to call this a successful event. We know we’ve improved in the last year in terms of our crew work and understanding of each other. We’ve also been doing a lot of gym work and our weight has improved on last year – we’re now 10kgs heavier. Having great sponsors and our yacht club behind us has meant we’ve been able to get in a lot more training.”

All 12 competing skippers attended the Opening Ceremony earlier today at the Ri-Yaz Heritage Resort and Spa where Dato Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek – Minister of Youth and sport Malaysia, Dato Wari Hisham Wan Salleh – Vice-President Malaysian Yachting Association, welcomed them and then officially opened the Monsoon Cup.

The opening flight of the First Qualifying Session feature Tour leader Ian Williams and will begin at 11:00 (GMT+8) on Wednesday 23 November 2011 with live coverage from 15:00 to 17:00 (GMT +8) on www.wmrt.com

The Monsoon Cup teams:
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team
Jeremy Koo (MAS) Abdullah Chan/KRT
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat
Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing
Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar

Overall Championship Standings – after 7 stages:
1 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar – 106pts
2 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing – 100pts
3 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat – 99.8pts
4 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – 78.8pts
5 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team – 75pts
6 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 74pts
7 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team – 73.2pts
8 Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners – 71.2pts
9 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 69.6pts
10 Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing – 64.4pts

[MLovett]

Hansen On Top After Battling Monsoon Conditions in Malaysia

Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia – 23 November, 2011: Bjorn Hansen finished the opening Qualifying Session of the 2011 Monsoon Cup at the top of the standings on a day in which the event dramatically lived up to its name after 40 knots of wind and torrential rain swept across Kuala Terengganu.

If the opening Qualifying Session is about gaining early confidence and momentum then Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team did just that, posting an overnight 3-0 scoreline. After wins against Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners, current Tour leader Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar, Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing, he said: “It’s a good start for us - having 3 points is always good and great for confidence. We’ve seen everything except the sun today and needed a bit of luck to pull through against Jesper [Radich] where he made a mistake but we’ll happily take it!”

Hansen sits 31 points behind Williams in the overall World Match Racing Tour standings, a gap which is mathematically possible to close and not too different from last year when eventual World Champion Ben Ainslie trailed Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team by 29 points going into the Monsoon Cup. Hansen will have noticed Williams got off to a poor start today too, the Brit losing both his matches.

Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team was the only other skipper to post an undefeated score with two wins from two matches. Fortunately for him, the howling wind and rain had subsided by the time he took to the water: “We aren’t sailing perfectly but two wins is two wins and every point here is important. The conditions were perfect for us. We’re happy we got to wait until now to race! In the conditions like this morning it’s all about those who like them the most as they’ll be the ones who win.”

One man who relishes such conditions is Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing. He was one of four teams to get a match under their belts in the morning’s treacherous conditions, defeating Williams in what could be a pivotal match in the Championship race. The four-time Match Racing World Champion, who finished the day on 2-1, commented: “It was damn exciting out there this morning, it was on the edge and it was extreme. It was the first big blast of the Monsoon this year and all the teams out there were at the limit of their capacity to keep the boats going.

“I don’t think today was beyond the limit, I commend the race committee for continuing racing. The umpires kept up with the boats so they didn’t lose sight of anyone and the boats were staying on the right course so I think it was appropriate to keep racing.

“Strong conditions make sailing come alive. Just look at the start of this year’s Volvo Ocean Race and the America’s Cup World Series event in Plymouth.”

The day finished in stark contrast to how it opened, with light winds forcing the abandonment of the final flight. It was, though, a fascinating day in which the testing weather conditions made the teams graft hard with the scoreboard interestingly poised for tomorrow’s racing.

The second Qualifying Session will begin with the World Match Racing Tour Morning Show followed by racing from 10:00 (GMT+8) on Thursday 24 November 2011. Live coverage continues from 15:00 to 17:00 (GMT +8) on www.wmrt.com

Results after Qualifying Session One:
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team 3-0
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 2-0
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 2-1
Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing 2-1
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing 1-0
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat 1-0
Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners 1-2
Phil Robertson (NZL) Team China powered by WAKA Racing 1-2
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 0-1
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 0-2
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 0-2
Jeremy Koo (MAS) Abdullah Chan/KRT 0-3

Overall Championship Standings – after 7 stages:
1 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar – 106pts
2 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing – 100pts
3 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat – 99.8pts
4 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – 78.8pts
5 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team – 75pts
6 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 74pts
7 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team – 73.2pts
8 Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners – 71.2pts
9 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 69.6pts
10 Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing – 64.4pts

[MLovett]

Inspired Tiller Takes Charge in Malaysia

Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia – 24 November 2011: Will Tiller, the young Kiwi skipper who qualified for the Monsoon Cup after winning the Asian Match Racing Championships, put in an inspired performance in the second Qualifying Session today to reach the quarter-finals of the World Match racing Tour season finale.

Tiller’s winning streak included the scalps of five Tour Card Holders including current Tour leader Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar and Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat, two of the three favourites to win the ISAF Match Racing World Championship but who’ve struggled for consistent form so far in Malaysia.

After a day in which ideal sailing conditions finally arrived, Tiller, who skippers the Full Metal Jacket Racing team, commented: “It’s been an awesome day for us! We’ve been starting really well and winning the left and from there on it was simple match racing really. It’s good to know that everyone is beatable!

“This definitely gives us confidence going forward, winning against these tops guys is amazing and helps us realise we have the potential to make it all the way through to the finals.”

With Williams and Mirsky suffering indifferent form here in Kuala Terengganu, they’ll be weary of their nearest rival for the Championship, Francesco Bruni who is just one win away from a guaranteed berth in the quarter-finals. The Italian has looked confident in the Foundation 36 boats, but the two losses he suffered late in the day to Phil Robertson and Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team frustrated him:

“It was a good day for sure - we can’t really complain but missing two points is annoying. We lost a bit of momentum at the end of the day. We almost had the win against Robertson but we made a few stupid mistakes and that makes me angry. It’s nice to go through early and so having those extra points would have been nice. But you can’t do everything perfectly so we should be happy with how we are sailing overall.”

The French Match Racing Team duo of Mathieu Richard and Damien Iehl, have endured a torrid time at the 2011 Monsoon Cup with both teams on the brink of going home. Just one more defeat for either skipper would spell the end to their 2011 Tour. For Richard, a skipper widely tipped to finally win the World Championship this season but who relied on a wildcard to compete in Malaysia, the pressure is on to get a good score here and boost his overall position in the Tour standings: “We are still fighting 100% even though we are in a very different situation to last year. We will always fight and give 100% no matter where we are on the leaderboard.

“The pressure is on us now to win all of our remaining matches - it’s a very uncomfortable situation to be in but we’ve got used to it this year and we know it’s still possible. We need to just not think about things too much and go out there and win.”

Torvar Mirsky finished the second Qualifying Session on 3-4 and sits afoot a group of teams, including Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing, Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners and Ian Williams (GBR), who all have some work to do to qualify for the quarter-finals. Interestingly, Williams faces both Mirsky and Bruni, his nearest title rivals, in his first two matches tomorrow.

While never certain, five wins here should put teams into a tie-break for the quarter-finals while six wins should assure teams of a semi-final berth. The one thing that is certain is that Jeremy Koo, the qualifier from the Asian Match Racing Championships will not make it to the knock-out stages with a winless Monsoon Cup campaign so far. The Malaysian though will have a chance to redeem himself tomorrow when he takes on Hansen and Berntsson.

Qualifying will conclude from 10:00 (GMT+8) on Friday 25 November 2011, after the World Match Racing Tour Morning Show with Hannah White. Live coverage from Pulau Duyong continues from 15:00 to 17:00 (GMT +8) on www.wmrt.com

Results after Qualifying Session Two:
Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing 6-2
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing 5-2
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team 5-3
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 5-3
Phil Robertson (NZL) Team China powered by WAKA Racing 5-3
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 4-3
Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners 4-3
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 4-4
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat 3-4
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 3-5
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 2-5
Jeremy Koo (MAS) Abdullah Chan/KRT 0-9

Overall Championship Standings – after 7 stages:
1 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar – 106pts
2 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing – 100pts
3 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat – 99.8pts
4 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – 78.8pts
5 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team – 75pts
6 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 74pts
7 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team – 73.2pts
8 Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners – 71.2pts
9 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 69.6pts
10 Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing – 64.4pts

[MLovett]

Bruni Shatters Mirsky’s World Championship Dream

Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia – 25 November, 2011: Torvar Mirsky’s 2011 ISAF Match Racing World Championship dream lies in tatters after a dramatic conclusion to the Qualifying stages of the Monsoon Cup saw Francesco Bruni beat the Australian by just half a second in a sudden death match. It completed what was a fascinating day of racing in Malaysia which also saw the wildcard of Will Tiller qualify for the quarter-finals in top spot.

Every match today was a potential Championship changer. With two early wins for Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat and two defeats for Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing, the three main Championship title contenders of Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar, Bruni and Mirsky were tied on five points. Williams faced a sudden death situation, requiring one win from his final race against Mathieu Richard while Bruni and Mirsky had two bites of the cherry. Their second races though were against each other. The script could not have been better written.

And so it came down to their head-to-head. In the match, the lead changed no less than three times. Bruni’s decision to repeatedly take the left side seemed to give Mirsky the advantage with the Australian enjoying better boat speed out on the right, the side that teams had favoured all day. On the final run though, Bruni was right on Mirsky’s tail and had enough of a speed advantage to push his nose just ahead of the Australian right on the finish line.

A jubilant Bruni, who managed to turn around a run of four straight defeats to beat Mirsky, said: “We never thought we would have needed one metre to get through! Everything has been going against us today and we needed that win so we are so happy but very tired, it was very stressful!

“It’s now between us and Ian and it will be close so we need all the extra energy we can get. We have to do this, we have to win! We are confident and we are sailing well. Ian needs to watch his back very carefully!”

Meanwhile, a dejected Mirsky commented: “We are devastated, shattered to lose at this stage – we are broken. All credit to Bruni and his team, they pipped us on the line. We went in for the last gybe and in previous races there was enough pressure there but now this time. It really hurts, that moment decided everything. We felt we were a team who would have contended for the title so that’s what hurts the most.”

“We sailed around after the race and no one on our boat said anything, we are all absolutely devastated. We thought this was one event we could have nailed. We’ve won two events this year but this leaves a sour taste in our mouth overall.”

“The young teams have sailed really well though and are smashing everyone so best of luck to Will and Phil.”

Despite posting four wins from five matches yesterday, Williams’ Monsoon Cup campaign was still in the balance overnight with a 4-3 scoreline. He needed some quick momentum today however he lost his opening two matches against Phil Robertson (NZL) Team China powered by WAKA Racing and then against Mirsky. On 4-5, Williams really needed to win both his final matches. It looked like it wasn’t going to go his way after his match against Bruni was abandoned due to a major wind shift while the Brit was ahead. Williams though showed just why he’s in the reckoning to capture a third World Championship by beating both Bruni and Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team to book a place in the knock-out stages.

“They were defining races today and when the pressure is on that’s when you really find out the most about yourself,” said Williams. “We are still in the regatta and that’s the main thing so we aren’t worrying about what happens with the other teams. The fun really starts now!

“Today, we just tried to keep in the moment and not think about the consequences. We know what to do so it was just a matter of keeping the discipline and hoping that’s enough to get us through, which it was.”

For Richard, his early exit from the Monsoon Cup is a bitter end to a dismal season. The Frenchman has the same win rate as the Francesco Bruni in the qualifying rounds of the 2011 Tour but has failed to deliver in the knock out rounds: “It’s been a terrible year for us, everything went badly and we really struggled, especially compared to last year so it’s tough but that’s sport. We were the only team to reach the quarter-finals in all the events leading up to here but we lost in the next stage and often after very tight matches. It’s pretty much the opposite of last year.”

The other main headline of the day was about Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing, the young Kiwi wildcard who qualified top with just 3 defeats and ahead of a group of teams skippered by six Tour Card Holders. Having picked Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team as his quarter-final opponent, Tiller said: “We are rapt; it’s an amazing achievement for us! Everything just seems to have fallen into place, it’s just awesome. We just seem to have got on this roll which is great. Seeing our name at the top of the leaderboard after qualifying is so amazing, especially to be above so many top names.”

“The next step is going to be even harder so we are just hoping to push on into the semis and you never know what can happen in those final stages.”

The quarter-finals here is all set for a Championship showdown as they will decide the 2011 ISAF Match Racing World Champion with Ian Williams facing his only challenger for the title, Francesco Bruni. Elsewhere, Robertson will face Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing while Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team opted for Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners.
The quarter-finals of the Monsoon Cup will begin at 10:00 (GMT+8) on Saturday 26 November 2011, after the World Match Racing Tour Morning Show with Hannah White. Live coverage from Pulau Duyong continues from 15:00 to 17:00 (GMT +8) on www.wmrt.com

Results after Qualifying Session Three:
Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing 8-3
Phil Robertson (NZL) Team China powered by WAKA Racing 8-3
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team 7-4
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 6-5
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 6-5
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing 6-5
Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners 6-5
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 5.5-5
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat 5-6
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 4-7
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 4-7
Jeremy Koo (MAS) Abdullah Chan/KRT 0-11

Overall Championship Standings – after 7 stages:
1 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar – 106pts
2 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing – 100pts
3 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat – 99.8pts
4 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – 78.8pts
5 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team – 75pts
6 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 74pts
7 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team – 73.2pts
8 Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners – 71.2pts
9 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 69.6pts
10 Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing – 64.4pts

[MLovett]

Britain’s Ian Williams Crowned World Champion

Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia – 26 November, 2011: British sailor Ian Williams is the new ISAF Match Racing World Champion after defeating Italian Francesco Bruni in a tense quarter-final of the Monsoon Cup, the final event on the World Match Racing Tour. It is the second consecutive year that a British skipper has won the title after Ben Ainslie took the crown in 2010.

Williams, who won the Championship in 2007 and 2008, now joins Russell Coutts, Chris Dickson, Peter Gilmour and Ed Baird as only the fifth skipper to win the World Championship at least three times. Speaking after his victory, Williams paid tribute to his Team GAC Pindar crew of Bill Hardesty, Mal Parker, Gerry Mitchell and Matt Cassidy: “It feels fantastic to have won our third world title! We’ve had a really strong season - we won two regattas heading into the Monsoon Cup which is the most we’ve won in a season and we felt really strong as a team. They are fantastic and we can’t manage without any one member.

“The team pulls together when we are up against it and we were definitely up against it here, we pulled it out of the bag at a critical moment… It’s a massive release of emotions.”

A dejected Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing, a skipper who was bidding to become the first Italian to capture the Championship, commented: “Today was not my day. The team sailed great, there were a few small mistakes but really it came down to me and I was under performing and I feel sorry about that. We had good starts all week but today’s were the worst which shows my brain wasn’t working. It was all on me today and I was below my usual standard. Ian did a great job, he’s always a tough competitor.

“It has been a great season for us though and we’ve performed really well overall. Finishing this way today when we were so close to the Championship title is disappointing.”

It was another fascinating day of sailing action in Malaysia. While the focus was all on Williams and Bruni, the other quarter-finals could all still determine the outcome of the Championship. As in the last Qualifying Session of the Monsoon Cup yesterday, every race today was a potential Championship changer with just six points separating these two skippers going into the event.

Bruni went 2-0 down with little fight in the first to three point quarter-final. In the first, Bruni crossed the finish line first but still carried an outstanding penalty that he picked up in the pre-start for failing to keep clear of Williams who was the starboard boat. It was a similar situation in the next match, the Italian again picking up a penalty, this time for running into Williams’ boat in the pre-start.

At 2-0, there was a break before the next race which allowed Bruni Racing to regroup. It showed. Williams applied all the pressure in the pre-start, pushing Bruni past the pin. The Italian managed to recover and, as they crossed after a split up to the first mark, Williams picked up a penalty after colliding with Bruni who had right of way. The umpires held up a red flag shortly afterwards having decided that there was a change of lead from the collision. The lead went to Bruni which he maintained to the finish to pull one back.

In the quarter-finals, each team was allowed to receive advice throughout from their coach. Olympic Silver medallist Ian Barker was Williams’ assigned coach while Bruni took advice from Torvar Mirsky, ironically the very skipper he’d knocked out of the World Championship contention in the Qualifying stages. It paid off for Williams, who took the advice of Barker to take the right side of the course on the final windward leg despite most teams making better gains on the left all day. Williams extended an early lead to the finish to capture his third point and with it, the 2011 World Championship.

In the end, the other matches didn’t affect the Championship outcome. Had Bruni beaten Williams, he would have been World Champion as the two other matches that could have affected the overall result went his way with Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team beating Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing and Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners beating Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team.

Tiller has been the other big story to come out of the Monsoon Cup so far. The young Kiwi who qualified for the season finale as a wildcard by winning the Asian Match Racing Championships picked Berntsson as his quarter-final opponent after finishing top of the standings after the Qualifying stages. Their match went to sudden death however the Swede prevailed, winning 3-2. Commenting on his performance here, Tiller, said: “We’ve sailed really well overall and have shown everyone that we’re capable of racing at this level and keeping up with the best guys in the world. We’re planning on coming back again next year and going even bigger and better!”

The Monsoon Cup semi-finals were continuing at the time of the release going to press. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing is currently 2-1 down against Berntsson however should the Australian win the Monsoon Cup, he will finish second in the World Championship.

Williams’s team will be officially awarded with the new ISAF Match Racing World Championship trophy after the final Championship points are calculated at the conclusion of the Monsoon Cup tomorrow. Racing resumes at 10:00 (GMT+8) on Sunday 27 November 2011, after the World Match Racing Tour Morning Show with Hannah White. Live coverage from Pulau Duyong continues from 15:00 to 17:00 (GMT +8) on www.wmrt.com

Monsoon Cup Quarter-Final Results:
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team beat Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing 3-2
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing beat Phil Robertson (NZL) Team China powered by WAKA Racing 3-2
Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners beat Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team 3-1
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar beat Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing 3-1

Overall Championship Standings – after 7 stages:
1 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar – 106pts
2 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing – 100pts
3 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat – 99.8pts
4 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – 78.8pts
5 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team – 75pts
6 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 74pts
7 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team – 73.2pts
8 Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners – 71.2pts
9 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 69.6pts
10 Phil Robertson (NZL) Team China powered by WAKA Racing – 64.4pts