World champions reform into new matchracing team for World Tour
by Adrian Lee & Partners Racing on 28 May 2011
Jesper Radich at Match Race France - Day 4 - Semi finals ACEA - Photo Gilles Martin-Raget
http://photo.americascup.com/
Nick Blackman and David Swete formerly of BlackMatch Racing, have teamed up with Jesper Radich and Rasmus Kostner of Denmark, along with Christian Scherer from Switzerland to form the Adrian Lee & Partners Racing Team, which will compete on the 2011 World Match Racing Tour.
While Dave and Nick are eager to get back the World title, Jesper is also a past winner, taking out the World Title in 2003, before helming for Desafío Español in the 2007 America’s Cup. Rasmus Kostner and Christian Scherrer are also both America’s Cup sailors, with Christian trimming for Alinghi when they won the ‘Auld Mug’ in 2003, while Rasmus was part of the afterguard in Mascalzoni Latino’s 2007 Campaign.
The Adrian Lee & Partners Racing Team is formed of sailors from three different nations, all with impressive resumes and a huge drive to win the 2011 World Match Racing Tour. A fourth placing in the team’s first Tour event in Marseille a fortnight ago has proven that the right ingredients are there, all we need to do is get the mix right to succeed this year.
Currently we are competing in the second event of the Year, Match Cup Germany. After the first round robin we have managed an 8 win - 3 loss scorecard, which has seen us qualify for our second successive quarterfinals, in third position.
We are extremely happy to be kicking off the year in such good form and are confident of improving on our fourth placing in Marseille, when we take on either Phil Robertson from New Zealand, or Evgeny Neugodnikov from Russia tomorrow.
Aside from the World Match Racing Tour we are doing a lot of sailing on bigger keel boats, such as our sponsor Adrian Lee’s Cookson 50 and UK based TP 52’s Pace and Gladiator, the latter now competing in the 2011 Audi Med Cup.
That’s all for now from the Kiwi contingent of Adrian Lee & Partners Racing and we hope to bring you a positive final report following our racing throughout the weekend. For any media including live coverage between 1pm and 3pm CET (central European time), please go to www.wmrt.com .
Adrian Lee & Partners Racing Team is Jesper Radich, David Swete, Christian Scherrer, Rasmus Kostner and Nick Blackman.
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