Malaysian Match Racing Championships - Day 1 Royal Selangor YC leads

by Rurrum on 23 Nov 2009 Royal Selangor Yacht Club skippered by Rizal Mahadi Sazali lead the first day of the Malaysian Match Racing Championships today when the team picked three points from three races in the first round robin here today.

However, the highlight of the day was Flight No 5 where Sail Putrajaya Team skippered by Nurul Elia Anuar was victorious after the lead changed several times and convincingly defeated seasoned campaigners Malaysia Armed Forces 1 with Mohamad Razali Mansor at helm.

Incidentally, Mohammad Razali was Elia’s former coach. Asked how she felt beating her former coach, Elia said: 'I feel guilty' She giggled. 'In that race the crew and I did the right things. Our race applications were worked well. We did three race starts, but only completed one, while the other races had to be abandoned as there was a sudden significant shift in the wind.'

Rizal on the other had said he was a little surprised at picking up three wins. He thanked Dato’ Peter Gilmour for giving them a firm lecture after they ran aground, tore a sail and damaged an umpire boat during practice.

'Cap’n, thank you, thank you!' Rizal said. 'We did not expect to have won three races but nevertheless it puts us in a strong position to advance further in the championship,' he said, adding that the wins have given him and his crew a renewed boost to go for wins again in the second round robin tomorrow.

Royal Selangor Yacht Club beat beat Duyong Heritage Sailing Team, Harimau Selatan and Team KBS.

Another team representing Royal Selangor Yacht Club – Team Viewpoint also sailed had a clean record where they won their two races today. Viewpoint beat Duyong Heritage Sailin Club and Club Marina Terengganu.

However, Razali Mansor’s Malaysian Armed Forces 1 despite losing to Elia’s team won two other races by beating Club Marina Terengganu skippered by Hamdan Yahya and Malaysian Armed Forces 2 led by Mahsyuri Rahmat.

Today, the races were interrupted by stoppages and some abandoned because there were no winds.

The overall results after the first three flights:

Royal Selangor Yacht Club, Rizal Mahadi Sazali 3-0
Koo Racing Team – AC Law, Jeremy Khoo 1-0
Team Viewpoint, Rolf Heemskerk 2-0
Sail Putrajaya, Nurul Elia Anuar 1-0
Taring Pelangi (TESA), Hazwan Hazim Dermawan 0-1
MAF1, Mohammed Razali Mansor 2-1
Duyong Heritage Sailing Team, Mohd, Rais Hashim 0-2
RSYC2, Rizal Mahadi Sazali 3-0
Asian Yachting Match Racing Team, Nazreen Abdul Ghani 1-2
MAF2, Mahsyuri Rahmat 1-1
Harimau Selatan, Abdul Rahim Mond . Zan 1-1
KBS, Sharizali Mohd Suhaimi 0-1
Club Marina Terengganu, Hamdan Yahya 0-2
Putrajaya Five O’, Nasser Abu Bakar 0-1

About the Malaysian Match Racing Championships (MMRC)

Back in 2006, the Monsoon Cup was the first race to have a series of qualifiers to encourage the participation of young, upcoming local sailors in the professional match race scene. Those qualifiers were the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC) and the Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC).

From four teams at its inception in 2006, the Malaysian Match Racing Championship has now grown to have 13 local teams taking part in this year's event, taking place on 23-26 November 2009.

The winner will be the sole Malaysian representative at the Monsoon Cup, the final and deciding leg of the World Match Race Championships. It is a chance to compete with the world’s top match race sailors.

Malaysian Match Racing Winners:

2006 - Tiffany Koo (MAS) – Team Selangor Gapurna 1
2007 - Tiffany Koo (MAS) – UK Halsey Gapurna
2008 - Nurul Ain Md Isa (MAS) – Perak Sailing Team

About the Asian Match Racing Championships (AMRC)

The Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC) was held on 9-12 November 2009. Participants of teams from various Asian Yachting Clubs vying for a spot in the Monsoon Cup, which is the final leg of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT).

At its debut in 2006, the AMRC saw participation from five regional teams, including from Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong, racing in the world-class Pulau Duyong match race circuit, which is also the venue for the Monsoon Cup.

This year has seen a massive increase in interest with over 30 international teams applying for a chance to compete. But only seven selected teams were racing in the AMRC, including two from Malaysia.

Asian Match Racing Championship Winners:

2006 - Adam Minoprio (NZL) – BlackMatch Racing
2007 - Adam Minoprio (NZL) – BlackMatch Racing
2008 - Keith Swinton (AUS) – BlackSwan Racing
2009 – Phil Robertson (NZL), Team New Zealand WAKA Racing