Asian Qualifiers key to World Match Racing Tour door

by Monsoon Cup media on 6 Nov 2009
The 2009 World Match Racing Tour leader going into the final event in the series, the prestigious Monsoon Cup in Terengganu, Malaysia, is 22 year old Adam Minoprio from New Zealand.

Minoprio’s qualified for his first ever World Match Tour event, the Monsoon Cup by winning the 'Asian Qualifiers', the Asian Match Racing Championship in 2007.

After competing in 2008 in more WMRT events, Minoprio's BlackMatch crew qualified second in the Monsoon Cup quarter-finals.

Peter Gilmour, the ultimate event winner, chose Minoprio as his opponent because as Adam relates ‘We were the young guys. We managed to take him to two-all, which was rather cool, but he got us in the end so we ended up seventh.

'We've been able to go on from there and we've had a great year this year and we are of course very pleased to have a little break on the rest of the pack going into the final event. Looking back in history, for us the ‘the Asian Qualifiers' were our key to the door.’

Once again one of the twelve crew positions in this year’s Monsoon Cup, the final round of the 2009 World Match Racing Tour, will be decided at the Asian Match Racing Championships, to be sailed from November 9-12 on the Pulau Duyong course in Terengganu.

The highest ranking sailor going into the event is 22 year old Auckland sailor Phil Robertson, who joined the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Youth Training Program at the age of 17.

‘I crewed for Adam Minoprio when he won the Warren Jones Regatta (Perth, WA) in 2006. We won the Warren Jones in 2008 and joined the northern hemisphere Match Racing circuit. We were ranked 55th in the world when we went over and we entered as many regattas as we could. We came back ranked 25th.

‘We won the Chicago Match Cup and competed in three World Tour events: Portugal, the Danish Open and the Gold Cup. We’ve had some really good wins beating Ian Williams in our first as well as a couple of other guys, who are top sailors. We beat Peter Gilmour in the Gold Cup. We also won against Adam Minoprio, Mathieu Richard and Sebastian Col during the year. But its very, very tough racing and we had plenty of losses too. However our Waka Racing Team has achieved its goals this year and we've chopped our ranking in half; the goal is to do that again next year and get into the top ten.

‘Right now we are focused on the Asian Match Racing Championships, and if we are successful there, then it will be the Monsoon Cup’ concluded the determined Kiwi.

One of Robertson’s rivals will be Michael Dunstan, the 27 year old Australian, who won four Australian Match Racing Championships before taking a three year break from the match racing scene.

Dunstan says, ‘The Nationals this year, in September, was the first event I’ve done in three years. I re-ignited my passion for it (match racing).

‘The Australian and New Zealand young guys, Torvar Mirsky and Adam Minoprio are doing very well, which is good to see. It’s great to see other young guys get on the circuit - it’s awesome.

‘I’ve done a fair few regattas in the Foundation 36s (the type of boat used for the Asian Match Racing Championships). Three of the Australian Match Racing Championships were in those boats and we sailed them at the Warren Jones Regattas.

‘I‘ve been involved in setting up the Women’s Match Racing squad with Yachting Australia and the Australian Sailing Team and I’m the Technical Coordinator of the Australian Sailing Team and the Slam Match Race Team,’ concluded a busy Dunstan.

Hong Kong’s Martin Kaye is another competitor hoping to win entry into the Monsoon Cup via the Asian Qualifiers.

‘This is our fourth Asian Qualifiers. Each of the times we’ve done reasonably well against the other Asian competitors but we’ve been knocked out by young fellows like New Zealand’s Adam Minoprio, who is now leading the World Tour.

‘It would be fantastic to get a top spot, just to be sailing against some of the really big guns. That’s the honour – it’s the best match racing there is in Asia by a long way.

‘It is very challenging course; quite a twisted tide system on Pulau Duyong, with two rivers coming into a basin so there are times when the tides are rather confused. It’s a little bit shifty with the wind, but I think that’s what makes it quite exciting.’

Kaye continued, ‘It’s my favourite event of the year; also quite important as we are representing Hong Kong in the new Match Racing event in the Asian Sailing Games in March 2010, which is a prelude to the Asian Games.

‘The Monsoon Cup has really lifted the profile of sailing in Asia.’

After the Asian Qualifiers, the Malaysian Match Racing Championships are scheduled for Pulau Duyong, Kuala Terengganu from November 23 - 26. The winner of this event will also receive entry into the Monsoon Cup.

Asian Match Racing Championships details

Sunday, 8th November is Registration and Weighing-in at the Ri-Yaz Heritage Resort and Spa.
Monday 9th - All Day Practice Session.
Tuesday 10th - Racing scheduled for the morning and afternoon, followed by a State Government of Terengganu hosted dinner.
Wednesday, 11th - Racing
Thursday, 12th – Semi-Finals in the morning, with the Finals in the afternoon. The Presentation will conclude the event.

Teams Entered in the Asian Match Racing Championships.

1. Team Hong Kong – (RHKYC)
Skipper: Martin H. Kaye

2. Michaell Dunstan – (RSYC)
Skipper: Michael Dunstan

3.. Team J.F.P – (JYMA)
Skipper: Kan Yamada

4. Team 'EM' – (RVYC)
Skipper: Morten Jakobsen

5. Team New Zealand – (WAKA Racing)
Skipper: Phil Robertson

6. MAF 1 – (Malaysian Navy)
Skipper: Mohammad Razali Mansor

7. Taring Pelangi – (TESA)
Skipper: Hazwan Hazim Dermawan