Bertrand Pace wins Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour

by John Roberson 25 Oct 2000 20:30 BST

BERTRAND PACE OF FRANCE WINS THE FIRST YEAR OF THE TOUR

Former French America's Cup skipper Bertrand Pace has won the Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour 2000, and collects the US$50,000 first prize, without sailing the last event. Pace, who recently joined Team New Zealand for the 2003 defence of the America's Cup, could only have been beaten by his new boss, Dean Barker, had the Kiwi finished second or better in the final event, Bermuda's Colorcraft Gold Cup.

Dean Barker, skipper of Team New Zealand, was eliminated from the Colorcraft Gold Cup in the first round today, by another Kiwi sailing legend, Chris Dickson. Dickson, who has signed to skipper Larry Ellison's America's Cup challenge out of San Francisco, won the first two matches, before Barker pulled one back, but in the fourth encounter Dickson nailed the lid down on the rising young star.

Barker and Pace have battled it out throughout the seven previous events on the Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour, with the Frenchman winning the opening event in Auckland. Barker took over the points lead after winning the world championships and ACI Cup in Croatia, the third event on the Tour.

Pace regained the advantage when he won the fourth event, Germany's Volvo Match Racing on Lake Constance, and from then on it was a chase for the Kiwis to catch up. When Dean Barker scored a significant victory at the Swedish Match Cup in Marstrand, beating Bertrand in the final, he reduced the deficit to just one point.

However the turmoil back in Auckland over the defection of Russell Coutts and others to Switzerland, and then a whole bunch more to Seattle and other challenges, meant that Barker had to concentrate on keeping Team New Zealand together. When Bertrand Pace finished second at the seventh event on the Tour, the Danish Open, he stretched his lead to nineteen points, and set Barker up with a big mountain to climb in Bermuda.

The Frenchman had taken the decision not to sail in Bermuda, because of other sailing commitments, but with the line up that was gathering for the Colorcraft Gold Cup, it was always going to be difficult for Barker to make the grade. There were going to be no easy matches, no matter who Barker was drawn against, but facing Dickson in the first round was particularly hard, the veteran match racer having won this event twice before.

By way of compensation, Barker knows he now has the formidable talents of Bertrand Pace on his side for the 2003 defence of the America's Cup. It was while they were in Marstrand that the two first started discussing the possibility of the Frenchman sailing for New Zealand, but the deal wasn't signed until September.

This now means that first and second places on the first year of the Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour will go to Team New Zealand, which must send shivers down the spine of the challengers.

There are still some battles to be fought for the minor places, with Magnus Holmberg of Sweden in third place, just one point ahead of Australian Peter Gilmour, and both skippers still in the event. Peter Holmberg of the U.S. Virgin Islands is currently in seventh place, and has the chance to move up to sixth with a good result in Bermuda.

PRIZE MONEY BREAKDOWN FOR THE SWEDISH MATCH TOUR: