Tough lineup for Match Race Germany

by Sean McNeill on 22 Apr 2005 Three days after the completion of Stage 5 of the 2004-’05 Swedish Match Tour, the global professional sailing series continues its May swing through Europe with the 25,000 Euro Match Race Germany in Langenargen, Germany, May 11-16.

Much like Stage 5 in Porto Azzurro, Italy, the lineup for Germany is loaded with America’s Cup Class helmsmen and talented match-racers. Four of the skippers in Elba – Ben Ainslie (GBR), Ian Ainslie (RSA), Ed Baird (USA) and Peter Gilmour (AUS) – will trek straight to Germany.

Perhaps no other venue on the Swedish Match Tour is as stunning as Match Race Germany, hosted on Lake Constance which is bordered by Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Measuring 40 miles in length and 8.5 miles in width, Lake Constance, also called Bodensee, covers 220 square miles, making it central Europe’s second largest freshwater lake.

Match Race Germany takes place along the promenade of Langenargen at Lake Constance. With a large beer tent, many food vendors and bands playing everything from Dixieland to reggae, Match Race Germany offers a slice of Oktoberfest in early summer.

The Tour’s spotlight in Germany will remain focused on Baird, representing Switzerland’s Team Alinghi for the America’s Cup. Baird, who leads the Swedish Match Tour standings with 65 points, could clinch the Tour championship – featuring a BMW 545i Touring from Tour Partner and Official Car BMW and a $60,000 cash bonus from the Tour – in Germany if he’s able to place in the top three in Italy.

Baird finds Lake Constance one of the most difficult venues on the Tour due to its light winds.

He also didn’t enjoy sailing the 24-footers previously used, but a new class of boat introduced last year, the Bavaria 35 Match, helped add life to the event when the winds were light. Last year’s event was split about 50-50 between super light winds and nice match-racing conditions.

Gilmour, the reigning champion of the Swedish Match Tour and Match Race Germany, will have a second straight opportunity to push Baird back in the standings while advancing his own cause.

Gilmour, who has five career victories on the Swedish Match Tour, has 42 points after four of the eight stages and trails Baird by 23 points.

Others entered in the event include America’s Cup hopefuls Ben Ainslie (GBR) of Emirates Team New Zealand, Ian Ainslie (RSA) of the Shosholoza Challenge, Jesper Bank (DEN) of Germany’s aspiring Cup challenger Fresh 17, Sébastien Col (FRA) of France’s K-Challenge and Bertrand Pacé (FRA) of BMW Oracle Racing.

The field also includes talented match-racers such as Staffan Lindberg (FIN), fifth in the Swedish Match Tour standings, Luc Pillot (FRA), Mathieu Richard (FRA), seventh in the standings, and Ian Williams (GBR), who’s making his Tour debut.

A 12th entrant will be decided at this weekend’s German Invitational Match Race. Among the favorites are Sten Mohr of Denmark, who’s trying to make a comeback in match-racing, and Eric Monin of Switzerland, who placed seventh at Match Race Germany last year.

Swedish Match Tour partners include Swedish Match, BMW and the Match Race Association. Swedish Match Tour Official Sponsors include Musto, Sebago, Travel Places, Trident Studio and Wedgwood.

For more information on the Swedish Match Tour, its competitors, events and a link to the Tour’s broadband TV channel, please visit the official Tour Web site: www.SwedishMatchTour.com.