Monsoon Cup - World's best prepare for showdown in Malaysia

by Alpari World Match Racing Tour on 22 Nov 2013 The world's best match racing skippers are in full preparation for next week's season finale of the 2013 Alpari World Match Racing Tour in Malaysia - The Monsoon Cup from 25-30 November. Any one of the top six teams on the Tour leaderboard can still clinch the Championship with a $500,000 prize purse up for grabs at the event.

Taylor Canfield (ISV) and his USone team currently lead the Tour rankings into the last event with a 10 point lead over defending Tour Champion Ian Williams (GBR) and his GAC Pindar team. Williams made a brave move at the penultimate Tour Stage in Bermuda choosing to race Canfield in the Quarter Final to mitigate the USone teams' championship advantage going into the last event. However, it was not to be and Canfield beat Williams to finish third in Bermuda and now tops the Alpari Tour leaderboard with 92 points, 10 points ahead of Williams.'

Although Williams has Francesco Bruni (ITA) of America's Cup team Luna Rossa to thank for limiting the damage in Bermuda, Williams is now in a familiar place having been second on the leader board at this point last year, and he knows the Quarter Finals in Malaysia will be key. If Canfield makes it to the Semi Finals, but not the Finals next week, then Williams will have to win the event to claim a record breaking fifth Alpari World Match Racing Tour and ISAF World Championship. If Canfield makes the Finals then the Championship is his.

But both skippers will have their work cut out for them in Malaysia as just 26 points separate the top six skippers on the leaderboard, all of whom are in contention for the title. WMRT website