World Championship Field Head to Terengganu Championship Finale

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Eight countries, seven months, one world championship. The competition to win the ISAF World Match Racing Tour Championship for 2011 first started in Marseille, France, where Frenchman Damien Iehl (French Match Racing Team) defeated countryman, Bertrand Pace (Aleph Sailing Team) at Match Race France.

Close racing at Monsoon Cup 2010 - photo by SubZero Images

Racing continued in Langenargen, Germany, where Francesco Bruni (ITA/Bruni Racing) claimed his first ever victory on the World Match Racing Tour after defeating four-time World Champion Dato' Peter Gilmour (AUS/YANMAR Racing) at Match Race Germany. But Bruni lost to Bjorn Hansen (SWE/Mekonomen Sailing Team) in a thrilling finale at the Korea Match Cup in Gyeonggi, South Korea.

At the Portimao Portugal Match Cup in Portimao, Portugal, Bruni lost again to Ian Williams (GBR/Team GAC Pindar) who won his first World Match Racing Tour event after three years. Williams' victory over Bruni continued a pattern of different winners at each of the four completed stages of the 2011 World Match Racing Tour, which promised to be one of the most hotly contested seasons in recent years. Williams' win shot his team up the Tour standings from tenth to third place, which at the halfway stage of the Tour was a huge boost for the 2007 and 2008 World Champion. In Marstrand, Sweden, Williams scored his second consecutive win over arch rival Hansen in an exciting five-match finale at the Stena Match Cup Sweden.

Joining the eight teams at the Monsoon Cup are two wildcard invites, Mathieu Richard (FRA/French Match Racing Team) who with 69.6 points has a mathematical chance to win the Championship, and Phil Robertson (NZL/WAKA Racing) who just signed on with China Team, the official Chinese challenger for the 34th America's Cup.

Rounding up the participants list are Asian Match Racing Championship winner, William Tiller (NZL/Full Metal Jacket Racing) and Malaysian Match Racing Champion, Jeremy Koo (Abdullah Chan/KRT).

The 2011 ISAF Match Racing World Champion will be decided at the Monsoon Cup, which takes place from 22nd to 27th November at the Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort and Spa, Kuala Terengganu.

2011 MONSOON CUP LINE UP:

For more information, please contact:

Audrey Lakai
Communications Department
World Match Racing Tour
+60-12-502-2206
audreylakai@wmrt.com