World Match Racing Tour kicks off with Match Race Germany 18th edition

by WMRT on 15 May 2015 The 2015/16 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) has started with a full schedule in May with the 18th edition of Match Race Germany, stage two of the World Championship, set to start next week just three days after the opening event of the season in Long Beach, California.

Held on the waters of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, Match Race Germany is widely regarded as the Grand Prix sailing event of Germany with five days of close match racing action staged in front of the thousands of spectators that flock to the lakeside town of Langeragen over the Pentecost weekend.

Widely tipped as the favourite for the event is experienced Swiss match racer Eric Monnin (Team SailBox). 39yr old Monnin has joined the World Match Racing Tour this year as one of eight ‘Tour Card’ skippers, guaranteeing him and his team invitations to the World Championship events.

Joining Monnin as first time Tour Card skippers for 2015/16 are Joachim Aschenbrenner from Denmark, and Reuben Corbett from New Zealand. All three teams have showed impressive performances at the opening World Championship event in Long Beach, CA and will be keen to gain valuable points on the leaderboard in Germany.

Adding to the entry list for Match Race Germany are teams from Austria and Germany who will start as the underdog teams for this edition of Match Race Germany, but bring with them valuable experience at dealing with the often shifty conditions on the lake. 52yr old Austrian Christian Binder has named his team 'Flat Lake Sailing Team' for good reason.

From Germany, national match racing champion Tino Ellegast and team from Constance knows the area well and have set themselves an ambitious goal: 'We want to be among the top eight teams.'

Circumnavigator and America's Cup professional, Tim Kröger has also brought in Lake Constance experts onboard his team. Kröger, who spends most of his time sailing on the lake with his family, adds talented 18-year-old Felix Schrimper to his team, as well as John Voigt, Sebastian Uecker and Noel Beck.

'I'm really looking forward to this mission!” commented Kröger. “My experience mixed with the match race dynamics of the guys around Felix will hopefully provide us with some good and surprising synergies.”

Match Race Germany awards 30,000 Euros in prize money and championship points towards the 2015/16 World Match Racing Tour leaderboard. The World Tour finals in Malaysia in January 2016 will crown the highest ranked skipper with the ISAF Match Racing World Championship.

Qualifying starts from 21 May in front of the vibrant regatta village in Langenargen's traditional harbor. A full week of shore-side events are being organised for spectators and families to enjoy over the five-day event.

2015/16 World Match Racing Tour

World Championship Event - Match Race Germany entry list:

1. Eric Monnin (SUI) Team SailBox
2. Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Aschenbrenner Racing Team
3. Reuben Corbett (NZL) Corbett Racing
4. Tomislav Basic (CRO) TB Race Team
5. Mark Lees (GBR) GBR Match Racing
6. Przemyslaw Tarnacki (POL) Energa Yacht Racing Team
7. Matthew Jerwood (AUS) Redline Racing
8. Dejan Presen (SOL) Lumba Match Race Team
9. Christian Binder (AUT) Flat Lake Sailing Team
10. Max Trippolt (AUT) Trippolt Sailing Team
11. Tino Ellegast (GER) Team Ellegast
12. Tim Kröger (GER) New Wave by Adidas