America’s Cup and World Champions on Lake Macquarie
by Rob Kothe on 30 Dec 2011
The 2012 John Cootes Furniture Australian A-Class Championships which get underway January 3 at the Wangi Amateur Sailing Club has attracted a stellar field, possibly the best in the world for a major multihull event in recent times.
These Championships will be a unique event on the world sailing scene bringing together a slew of America's Cup sailors along with three current World Champions; Tom Slingsby (four times Laser World Champion) from Gosford, Nathan Outteridge (three times 49er World Champion) from Wangi Wangi and Steve Brewin (A-Class World champion), all sailing these high performance, high tech A Class 18 foot catamarans.
From the America's Cup arena come four sailors; Oracle America’s Cup Syndicate Australian sailor James Spithill (skipper of 2010 America’s Cup winner BMW Oracle) John Kostecki (ten World championships, U.S. Olympic silver medalist and tactician on 2010 America’s Cup winning BMW Oracle), Dirk de Ridder (Volvo Ocean racer, BMW Oracle and Oracle AC45 mainsheet trimmer) Darren Bundock (14 catamaran World titles and two Olympic Silver medals) and Glenn Ashby (Emirates Team New Zealand, with 14 multihull World titles and two Olympic Silver medals) and three former Olympic medalists Andrew Landenberger, Chris Cairns and Scott Anderson.
The form guide suggests that this will be a very tightly fought series and the top ten places should be quite a battle. Ashby, with seven A-Class World Championships on his resume, remains the favourite for the event.
Bob Bier, the current European champion will be competing on a chartered DNA, adding his name to the Northern Hemisphere contingent.
Simon McKeon, the current Australian of the Year, will be taking a break from his official duties to compete.
The practice race will be held late (around 3pm) in the afternoon on January 2 with the nine race series commencing the following day January 3, under the watchful eye of PRO Tony Outteridge.
Media Ops - on land and water from Sunday afternoon.
Wangi RSL Amateur Sailing Club NSW, Watkins Road (Next to the Wangi RSL Club).
Please advise your interest in this event by calling Media Director Rob Kothe 0249772116 or 0418441359
or register here http://www.event-systems.org/mediaaccreditation.cfm?seid=1930
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