STENA Match Cup Sweden at Marstrand - Day 3
by Alpari World Match Racing Tour 4 Jul 2012 21:13 BST
2-7 July 2012
Skippers target vital remaining matches to make Quarter Final cut
The Alpari World Match Racing Tour saw another fantastic day's sailing from Bjorn Hansen and Peter Gilmour, leaving them amongst a group looking certain to progress to the Quarter Final of the STENA Match Cup Sweden after day three, whilst several skippers are desperate to secure wins in their remaining few matches to avoid elimination at qualification stage.
Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Team Trifork reached a total of five wins after the day's session and, having lost just four matches, has a good chance of moving to the Quarter Final with a strong performance tomorrow. A loss against Reuben Corbett (NZ) AON Racing Team in a thrilling match-up was the start to a day of mixed fortunes for the Danish 18 year-old who said, "It was a close one against Reuben [Corbett]. We got a penalty against us at the second top mark after leading up until that point. We took the port layline and he took the starboard. We thought we could cross him but he got on the inside and just got a piece of us. We got a red flag penalty so we had to let him pass and it just didn't leave us with any way of getting back to him."
Aschenbrenner, who looks set to become one of the future stars of the sport regardless of his progression in Sweden, said: "We had a good event at Match Race Germany and have been looking forward to this one. The DS 37 are boats that we train on and I've raced them since I started match racing.
"It's a hard fleet out here but we are aiming for the Quarter Final obviously. It's still a bit unsure whether we will progress but the crew are doing a great job and we'll be ready for tomorrow, for sure."
Of the other teams on the brink of making the cut, Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team had a successful day, picking up another two wins to leave him with a total of three and still in with a chance of moving through to the next stage of the event. Tour Card Holder Simone Ferrarese (ITA) Ferrarese Racing Team and local wildcard Viktor Ogeman (SWE) Team Accure weren't able to get a win on the board in the third Qualifying Session and now look destined to be heading home.
At the top of the qualifying table, Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team had recorded three wins by flight 16, taking him to eight overall and guaranteeing his participation in the next round. His only loss came at the hands of Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing in a close encounter which saw the Australian pick up a penalty in pre-start for not keeping clear of his opponent.
Hansen had taken an early lead approaching the top mark for the first time but some good boat handling from Gilmour's YANMAR Racing team allowed them to slip past on the first downwind leg. They lead all the way to the finish, building a gap of three boat lengths and allowing enough room for the penalty turn to take the slimmest of victories as Hansen bore down with greater speed.
Keith Swinton also remains in a commanding position going into the few remaining flights, having added to the troubles of Ogeman, who he mentors as part of his association with Magnus Holmberg's Elite Challenge GKSS Youth Squad. His current 7-2 scoreline bodes well for a Quarter Final berth.
STENA Match Cup Sweden Qualifying continues on Thursday 5th July from 0900 CET on Thursday 5th July, with Quarter Finals following and the Semi Final and Final scheduled for Saturday 7th July. Full schedule and additional information and updates are available at www.wmrt.com.
Follow the action online throughout both events. To watch, visit www.wmrt.com/live.html. Live streaming will be available from 1200 – 1400 on Thursday and 1400 – 1600 on Friday and Saturday.
Results after Qualifying Session 3: (correct up to flight 16 of 23)
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team 8-1
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar 7-2
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 7-2
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing Team 7-2
Phil Robertson (NZ) WAKA Racing 6-3
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 5-4
Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team 5-4
Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Team Trifork 5-4
Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team 3-6
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Miss Sophie 3-6
Simone Ferrarese (ITA) Ferrarese Racing Team 2-7
Laurie Jury (NZ) Kiwi Match 2-7
Reuben Corbett (NZ) AON Racing Team 2-7
Viktor Ogeman (SWE) Team Accure 1-8
YANMAR Racing masterful in Marstrand (from YANMAR Racing)
YANMAR Racing moved strongly into the later stages of qualifying at the Stena Match Cup Sweden with a dominant third session earning them four wins from four races. This is the third event of the 2012 Alpari World Match Racing Tour, and with Peter Gilmour and his team lying in fifth overall, it’s a crucial moment to put some points on the Tour’s scoreboard and maintain their challenge.
After slipping from the top of the leaderboard at the end of the first qualifying session, to sixth place by the end of the second, Peter Gilmour (AUS, skipper) and his team returned to form to move up to second place, behind the overall Tour leader and home crowd favourite, Bjorn Hansen.
YANMAR Racing opened their day tidily, racing another local hero, Johnie Berntsson in the first flight and recording their fifth win. They then had a break before returning to action in the late afternoon with a couple of tough opponents – the current joint leaders of the Tour, France’s Pierre-Antoine Morvan and Bjorn Hansen.
It was France up first and YANMAR Racing’s French tactician, Fred Guilmin describes the battle against his countrymen. “We wanted the right-hand side of the race course, but we didn’t get it off the start line. So although we had a leebow at the first cross, it wasn’t enough and he controlled the race to the top mark, and then down the second leg. But today we got some of the luck back that we were owed after yesterday’s race [against Williams], when he had some trouble with traffic at the end of that leg!”
“We were able to split from him at the start of the third leg,” continued Guilmin, “and then slowly closed. By the final third of the leg he could only try a leebow and it didn’t work for him this time. We were able to take control and lead onto the final leg. From there we managed to extend and we got the win.”
Now with six points on the scoreboard and looking in good shape for the quarter finals, YANMAR Racing faced what should have been the toughest match of qualifying – Bjorn Hansen, leading the Tour and leading qualifying. Again, Guilmin describes the action, “We got a penalty in the pre-start, but we were ahead of him so we had just the one thought – to extend enough to do the penalty at the finish and still beat him.”
“It didn’t happen on the first lap,” reflected Guilmin, “but we managed to trap him against the obstruction zone on the third leg and really hurt him with our bad air [wind shadow from the sails] on the final section into the mark. It got us three boat-lengths advantage, and then we managed to get another couple of boat-lengths on the final leg. We just had enough to do the penalty on the finish line and cross a half-length ahead.”
The day concluded with a match against the struggling Kiwi, Laurie Jury, and YANMAR Racing led off the start and comfortably closed out their eighth win of qualifying. They have three more races to complete the stage, but should already have enough points to get them into the quarter-final round.
Qualifying will resume at 09:00 CET on the 5th July, and YANMAR Racing will sail in the opening flight against Simone Ferrarese. The Stena Match Cup Sweden is held in Marstrand and runs from the 2nd to the 7th July.