Team GAC Pindar heads to Monsoon Cup
by Matt Denney on 30 Nov 2010
Ian Williams - Argo Group Gold Cup. Talbot Wilson
Team GAC Pindar’s Ian Williams is preparing for the final stage of the 2010 World Match Racing Tour, the Monsoon Cup, which will take place from November 30 to December 5 in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
The twice previous ISAF World Match Racing Champion will be looking for a strong result at the ninth and final event of the 2010 Tour, in order to secure a podium finish in the Championship overall.
Williams heads to the Monsoon Cup in fifth place (72 points), 33 points behind current Tour leader Mathieu Richard (French Match Racing Team) on 105. Defending Tour champion Adam Minoprio (ENTZ/Black Match Racing) lies in second on 90 points, followed by fellow Brit, Ben Ainslie on 88 points. Just four points separate Williams and fourth placed Torvar Mirsky (Mirsky Racing Team).
Williams has a strong track record at the Monsoon Cup, having won the event in 2007 and securing three semi-final finishes in the five year history of the regatta. Feeling positive ahead of the final event, he commented, ‘We are well prepared and looking forward to racing. Whilst we’ve still an outside shot at the title, a podium finish is probably a more realistic goal. We have performed consistently well all season but just struggled to convert our great round robin performances into event wins, so a victory this week would be fantastic. The Monsoon Cup is always a terrific climax to the Tour and with the title so wide open, it promises to be a very exciting week.’
The overall Championship will be decided by the skippers’ top five finishes in 2010, plus their result from the Monsoon Cup, which will award 1.5 times the usual points, to the top eight finishers. The winning skipper will scoop 38 points at the season finale.
A world class line up of 12 crews will compete on identical Foundation 36 Yachts for a share of the US$ 470,000 prize money, one of the highest prize purse's on the Tour, at the Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa in Kuala Terengganu. Now in its sixth year, the Monsoon Cup has gained prominent status on the World Tour, with organizers anticipating record crowds for the 2010 event.
To follow Team GAC Pindar’s progress in Malaysia, please visit:
www.teampindar.com
www.monsooncup.com.my
www.worldmatchracingtour.com
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