Magnificent M's at Monsoon Cup

by Rob Kothe on 30 Nov 2007 22 year old New Zealander Adam Minoprio and 21 year Australian Torvar Mirsky have some significant scalps hanging from their sailing belts after the round robin series of the final round of the 2006-2007 World Match Racing series, the Monsoon Cup being sailed in Terengganu, Malaysia.

Minoprio is a graduate of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's Youth Training Academy. He won the 2005 Warren Jones Youth Regatta, in Perth. The regatta is an ISAF Grade 3 (next year it will become a Grade 2) event and commenced in 2003 in honour of the man who made such an impact on Australian yachting.

He won the Asian Match Racing Championship in Terengganu early this year. His ISAF ranking current 48 is set to rocket after this regatta. To reach the quarter final he beat current Mathieu Richard (FRA), Ian Williams (GBR), Staffan Lindberg (FIN), Bjorn Hansen (SWE), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Jesper Radich (DEN), Katie Spithill (AUS) and Tiffany Koo (MAL).

Minoprio advanced to second place in the round robin series with eight wins, when he successfully protested Ian Williams crewmember for using a winch handle to extend his body while hiking.

The 22 year old New Zealander commented, 'Our goal was to make the quarter finals and we are chuffed to be second overall. Now the regatta starts.'

Torvar Mirsky also had eight wins and finished in third place after the round robin series.

Hailing from Fremantle Western Australia, Mirsky's introduction to Match Racing was at the Fremantle Sailing Club via its Youth Team. He is the current champion of the Warren Jones Youth Regatta, held in Perth annually.

Mirsky and his Mirsky Racing Team - MRT - have had a great 2007 with a first placing at the Internationaux de France Match Race (ISAF Grade 1 event), a first at the IV Open de Espana de Match Race (ISAF Grade 2 event) and a second place at the ACI Match Race Cup (ISAF Grade 1 event).

Currently ranked 10th on the ISAF Match Racing board, in the first two matches he downed Ian William (GBR), Bjorn Hansen (SWE), Paolo Cian (ITA), Sebastien Col (FRA), Staffan Lindberg (FIN), Katie Spithill (AUS), Jesper Radich (DEN) and Tiffany Koo. (MAL)

In his 11th and last match before the quarter finals, Mirsky faced Ian Williams (GBR), the reigning World Champion.

Both exciting and aggressive pre-start match racers, Mirsky forced a penalty on Williams but on the line, Williams had the favoured right hand side of the course but Mirsky made better tactical decisions and narrowly led at the top mark the second time. It was an extremely close and enthralling racing. Williams and Mirsky matched each other move on move, but Mirsky kept his head and controlled the race to take the gun.

Dockside Mirsky was grinning. ‘This regatta is definitely a highlight of our small sailing careers. We’ve never beaten Ian Williams before, so that was a huge win for us. It makes a difference with the draw from here, so we are over the moon.

‘It was a close, close race. We were both fighting for the right hand side. We had the flag up four or five times. We are pretty stoked, we were safely in the top eight, but we kept pressing this afternoon because it’s the round robin positions that give us the best choices from here.'

Neither of the young guns will be in contention for the full season points but they could certainly spoil the party for their more experienced opponents.

Coming into the Monsoon Cup, there were five skippers who could have won the ISAF World Match Racing Champion title: Mathieu Richard 132, Williams 122, and Paolo Cian 106, Bjorn Hansen and Sebastian Col. The latter two competitors are now out of contention after today's results.

Staffan Lindberg, (SWE) Sebastian Col (FRA), world number 4, Katie Spithill (AUS) and Tiffany Koo (MAL) missed the quarter finals.

In the quarter finals, the first boat in each match to record three wins advances to the semi finals. Tomorrow Peter Gilmour decided to sail against Adam Minoprio. Torvar Mirsky chose to sail against Bjorn Hansen; Mathieu Richard chose to sail against Paolo Cian and Jesper Radich has to sail against Ian Williams.

www.monsooncup.com.my
www.worldmatchracingtour.com