World Match Racing Tour - Chicago Match Cup preview

by Chicago Match Race Center on 15 Feb 2014 Alpari World Match Racing Tour Chicago Match Cup, being held from September 17th to 21st 2014, will be hosted by Chicago Match Race Center. The action will be hot; twelve of the best teams in the world will compete for a prize purse of $75,000.00.

The Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT) includes six events worldwide. Eight of the best skippers in the world compete for a total of $1.4 million of prize money.

'Chicago has consistently been one of our strongest stops on the Tour,' says AWMRT Executive Director James Pleasance. 'It has had great conditions for racing, a superb venue, and has been a popular favorite among our teams. We are thrilled to come back to the USA, and back to Chicago.'

Last year's event winner and reigning World Champion, Taylor Canfield and his Team US One, will return to defend their title. Until recently, Canfield was the Sailing Director at the Chicago Match Race Center, where he spent hundreds of hours training in CMRC's fleet of TOM 28's.

'It's always a pleasure to compete in Chicago,' says Canfield, who has taken on professional sailing this year in addition to his match racing. 'Lake Michigan provides some fantastic conditions, so the racing is always exciting. I look forward to coming back to defend my title against the Tour teams and those who make it through the qualifiers.'

CMRC will host the final qualifier June 13-15 in Belmont Harbor, where the winner gets an automatic invitation to the AWMRT Chicago Match Cup in September. This is how Canfield got his first invitation to the Chicago Match Cup in July 2012. Canfield's Team US One, which is the only US-based team on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, is currently ranked #1 in the world.

Alpari World Match Racing Tour website
Chicago Match Cup website