Ainslie wins first World Match Racing Tour event

by Event media on 2 Jun 2009
Match Race Germany ended Monday with Britain's Ben Ainslie and Team Origin taking 1st place in a first to three points final against Damien Iehl (FRA) and his French Match Racing Team.

Ainslie drew first blood in the final. He then went on to defeat Iehl in the second match, however Iehl was not going to let his Match Race Germany title go without a fight. He secured the third match only to be out-mastered by Ainslie in the fourth and final match.

This is the first event for Team Origin on the Tour this year and the win catapults Ainslie to fourth place on the World Tour standings with 25 points. However the 20 points gained for being runner up takes the Frenchman to joint 1st place with fellow country man Mathieu Richard on the Tour standings.

Ainslie’s crew included Iain Percy (tactics), Christian Kamp (trimmer), Mike Mottl (mainsheet) and Matt Cornwell (bow). They finished the regatta with 25 points towards the Tour standings and won $10,000 of the $50,000 prize purse.

In the petit-final Peter Gilmour defeated Mathieu Richard 2 - 0.

Mathieu Richard 'I am very happy I am tied for first place on the Tour with my very good friend Damien, this is great for the French Team.'

'Ben made the right decisions on picking the shifts and winning the starts and it is disappointing to not have won but we are still number one on the Tour standings' said a delighted Damien Iehl.

Ben Ainslie added 'It’s been difficult conditions all week with the shifty breeze but I have a great team around me and it’s all been about team work. The competition has been tough but it has been a great week. We look forward to coming back next year.'

The prize giving was held in the sunshine on the shores of Lake Constance in the midst of the thousands of spectators who have enjoyed the racing this week. An estimated 45,000 people have experienced the sights and sounds of Langenargen this week as the town played host to the second stage of the World Match Racing Tour.

'I am extremely content with the how the event has gone. The conditions have been the best we have ever seen at Match Race Germany. We have made thousands of people, young and old very happy. We have seen great sportsmanship and a wonderful display of match racing at its best,' commented event organiser Eberhard Magg.

This was also echoed by the competitors, Mike Mottl of Team Origin has competed at the event on many occasions and he said 'This is the best Match Race Germany I have ever competed at.'

With the second stage of the Tour now complete, sailors could be seen hot footing it to the airport en route to the Korea Match Cup where the third stage will start in a couple of days time.

World Match Racing Tour - Match Race Germany

1st Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin
2nd Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team
3rd Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
4th Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team
5th Ian Williams (GBR) Bahrain Team Pindar
6th Francesco Bruni (ITA) Joe Fly Match Race
7th Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing
8th Sébastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge
9th Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Team Onboard
10th Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing
11th Eric Monnin (SUI) Team Search.ch
12th Carsten Kemmling (GER)

Tour Standings - (After 2 of 10 events)

1. Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 32 points
-. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 32 points
3. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 31 points
4. Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin 25 points
5. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 15 points
-. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 15 points
7. Ian Williams (GBR) Bahrain Team Pindar 14 points
8. Sébastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team 12 points


Match Race Germany Website – www.matchrace.de
Video updates at www.wmrt.org/video