Corbett Racing prepare for World Match Racing Tour and Con Cup

by Sail-World.com on 13 May 2015 With less than one week before the opening event of the 2015 World Match Racing Tour, the Congressional Cup in Long Beach, USA, Corbett Racing, a new Kiwi entry for this season, are preparing for their debut with a weeks training in Copenhagen.

The team is led by New Zealand’s Reuben Corbett, a graduate of the prestigious New Zealand Royal Yacht Squadron match racing program, who is currently ranked 12th in the ISAF World Match Race rankings. Speaking about the teams’ ambitions for the year, Corbett commented: “For Corbett Racing, we see the 2015/16 tour as the beginning and we have the ultimate goal of wining the tour by 2017. There are some established teams on the tour this year, many of who we have come against on the water before, and we are confident in our ability – although I have no illusions it will be easy! For us, the World Match Racing Tour has been something we have worked towards for a long time, and it is a fantastic feeling to achieve the first step of our goal. We can’t wait to get out there.”

Corbett is joined by an international crew who have been sailing together over the last two years and have already achieved great success on the match racing circuit. Together, the team have won numerous international events, including the Sail of White Nights, held in Russia, and the Internationaux de France in Pornichet, - events that were both announced last week as new additions to the 2015/16 World Match Racing Tour championship schedule.

Between them the team boast an impressive combined CV that includes 2 World, 4 European and 16 National Championship titles, as well as three World Records.

Calling tactics is the UK’s Tom Dawson, a former Team GB 49er sailor with experience in the Extreme Sailing Series™ as well as a Class 40 World Champion. Aussie Jay Halligan, the teams’ powerhouse on the bow, also comes from a 49er background, as well as holding Farr 40 and Melges 32 championship titles. Bringing a wealth of experience with him, is Finland’s Robert Nyberg, a successful match racer in his own right, currently ranked 33rd in the world.

The team will be joined at the Congressional Cup by GC32 and Extreme 40 sailor Adam Piggot from the UK, and New Zealand’s Brad Farrand, who is currently leading the Extreme Sailing Series 2015 rankings with SAP Extreme Sailing Team.

The World Match Racing Tour pits together some of the world’s top sailing teams, competing on a global platform over eight months, to battle for the ultimate accolade of World Champion. The first event of the season, the Congressional Cup, takes place at Long Beach, USA, 13-17 May, followed a week later by Match Race Germany, 21-25 May which marks the beginning of the European part of the season.

Follow Corbett Racing’s season on Facebook and on their website

World Match Racing Tour 2015/16 Event Schedule:

World Championship Events

13 - 17 May 2015 Congressional Cup Long Beach, USA
21 - 25 May 2015 Match Race Germany Langenargen, Germany

29 June - 4 July 2015 Stena Match Cup Sweden Marstrand, Sweden

29 July - 1 August 2015 Energa Sopot Match Race Sopot, Poland

23 - 27 September 2015 Dutch Match Cup Lelystad, Netherlands

6 - 11 October 2015 Argo Group Gold Cup Hamilton, Bermuda

26 - 30 January 2016 Monsoon Cup Malaysia Johor Bahru, Malaysia


About Corbett Racing: Corbett Racingbrings together the best international sailing talent in a bid to win the World Match Racing Tour by 2017. The team are currently ranked 12th in the World in the ISAF (International Sailing Federation) World Match Race rankings. In 2015 Corbett Racing will be competing in all World Match Racing Tour World Championship events - the pinnacle of match racing.