ACI Adris Match Race Cup

by Sean McNeil on 24 May 2006 ACI Adris Match Race Cup, Stage 6 of the 2005-’06 World Match Racing Tour

Where: Rovinj, Croatia

When: May 23-28, 2006

Host: Yacht Club Croatia – Opatija and Adriatic Club International Croatia

Prize Purse: 50,000€ (approximately $63,000), 1st place: 20,000€ (approx. $25,000)

Boat: Jeanneau 35 One-Design

Racing Area: Adriatic Sea off Rovinj

Two of the top three and four of the top 15 skippers of the World Tour; reigning World Tour champion and ACI Cup champion Peter Gilmour; five of the top 10 and nine of the top 20 on the ISAF Open Match Race Ranking list.

Entry List

Johnie Berntsson (SWE) – Ranked 20th on ISAF World Match Race Rankings

Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Viano Mercedes Benz – Ranked 5th on ISAF World Match Race Rankings

Peter Gilmour (AUS) PST – Currently placed 1st on World Tour leaderboard

Björn Hansen (SWE) Team Hansen – Placed 3rd at Monsoon Cup last December

Dario Kliba (CRO) Croatia One – Local qualifier, placed 10th at ACI Cup ’05

Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team – Currently placed 3rd on World Tour leaderboard

Pierre-Antoine Moravn (FRA) – First World Tour event

Evgeniy Neugodnikov (RUS) – First World Tour event

Philippe Presti (FRA) Luna Rossa Challenge – Finished runner-up at ACI Cup ’05

Mathieu Richard (FRA) – Ranked 8th on ISAF World Match Race Rankings

Ian Williams (GBR) Williams Sail Racing – Placed 15th on World Tour rankings with 20 points


At Stage 5

James Spithill, the Australian helmsman of Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge for the America’s Cup, won the inaugural Brazil Sailing Cup, his first win on the World Tour since 2002. Spithill defeated Thierry Peponnet of France’s Areva Challenge in the final. Ian Williams of Great Britain and Staffan Lindberg of Finland, entrants at the ACI Cup, placed 8th and 9th, respectively, in Brazil.

About the World Tour

Skippers earn points towards the world championship at the nine events of the World Tour and the highest scoring skipper at the end of the season is the ISAF Match Racing World Champion. The World Champion wins a BMW X3 3.0i from World Tour partner BMW AG and a $30,000 cash bonus from the World Tour.

The World Tour is sanctioned by ISAF, sailing’s world governing body. World Tour sponsors include Sebago (Rockford, Mich.), the Official Footwear Supplier, Musto (Essex, England), the Official Clothing Supplier, and Travel Places (West Sussex, England), the Official Travel Partner.

For more information on the World Match Racing Tour, its competitors and events, please visit the official World Tour Web site, www.WorldMatchRacingTour.com. World Match Racing Tour television programs may be viewed on demand by clicking on the television icon on the home page of the Web site.