New format for World Match Racing Tour

London, UK (March 23, 2015) – The world’s longest running professional sailing series – the ISAF sanctioned World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) – today announced a new and expanded sixteen event schedule for the 2015/16 world championship. The full schedule is expected to exceed 20 events by the first Tour event in May at the 51st Congressional Cup in Long Beach, California.

For the first time since the World Tour was founded in 2000, the series will award championship points to all events on the schedule divided into two categories – World Tour Events and World Championship Events. Skippers will count their highest five results towards the World Championship title.

As WMRT Executive Director James Pleasance explains, the new format provides a valuable pathway for up and coming match racing skippers to compete on the world stage:

“The Tour has always focused on growing sailing and match racing around the world. By increasing the number of events that award points to the championship leaderboard, more sailors will have the opportunity to participate on the Tour and work their way towards the World Championship.”

To complement the new event schedule and format, the Tour also revealed its new logo, which has been updated following the former title sponsor Alpari UK entering into administration in January.

New Season, New Skippers
Earning their place to compete on the World Match Racing Tour this season are eight of the highest world ranked match racing skippers that have chosen to take their shot at winning the World Championship title.

Joining the defending five-time ISAF Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams (GBR), the 2015/2016 Tour Skipper list includes Tour veteran Bjorn Hansen (SWE) who finished 5th in last year’s championship, Keith Swinton (AUS) finishing 6th last year, and Eric Monnin (SUI) who finished 7th.

Fellow Swedish match racer Johnie Berntsson also rejoins the World Match Racing Tour this year alongside new Tour skippers 20yr old Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN), Reuben Corbett (NZL), and Nicolai Sehested (DEN). Sehested is currently competing in the Volvo Ocean Race as a member of Team Vestas Wind which suffered severe damage after running aground in the Indian Ocean in November last year.

The eight Tour Cards are allocated for a fee but guarantees each team entrance at the seven World Championship Events. Tour Card fees are pooled together and then paid back out at the end of the season to the teams on a sliding scale as the Tour Bonus.

Countdown to the Congressional Cup
The World Championship event curtain raiser for the 2015/16 Tour will be in Long Beach, California from 13-17 May at the 51st Congressional Cup.

Re-joining the World Match Racing Tour after more than 10 years, the Congressional Cup has been an innovator in the game of match racing since 1965, introducing the concept of on-water umpiring in 1988. Former winners of the event and recipients of the traditional winners ‘Crimson Blazer’ include Dennis Conner, Ted Turner, Ed Baird, Dean Barker, Gavin Brady, Ken Read, and the 2014 defending Champion Taylor Canfield.

After the opening event in Long Beach, the World Tour moves to Europe for events in Germany, Poland, Sweden and Holland before heading back across the Atlantic in October for the 68th edition of the Argo Group Gold Cup in Bermuda. The Monsoon Cup in Malaysia will play host to the World Championship Finals in late January 2016 in Johor Bahru on the Southern coast of Malaysia.

2015/16 World Match Racing Tour Calendar
May 8-10, 2015 – Ficker Cup, Long Beach, United States
May 9-10, 2015 – Volvo Spring Cup, Langedrag, Sweden
May 13-17, 2015 – Congressional Cup, Long Beach, United States *
May 21-25, 2015 – Match Race Germany, Langenargen, Germany *
May 29-31, 2015 – Szczecin Match Race, Szczecin, Poland
June 3-7, 2015 – Sails of White Nights, St Petersburg, Russia
June 10-14, 2015 – Royal Southern Match Cup, Hamble, UK
June 29-July 4, 2015 – Stena Match Cup Sweden, Marstrand, Sweden *
July 17-19, 2015 – Dziwnow Match Race, Dziwnow, Poland
July 29-August 1, 2015 – Internationaux de France, Pornichet, France
July 29-August 1, 2015 – Sopot Match Race, Sopot, Poland *
August 5-9, 2015 – Knickerbocker Cup, New York, United States
August 15-16, 2015 – Bermuda National Match Racing Championship, Hamilton, Bermuda
August 21-23, 2015 – Dutch Match Cup Qualifier, Bataviahaven, Netherlands
September 23-27, 2015 – Dutch Match Cup, Lelystad, Netherlands *
October 6-11, 2015 – Argo Group Gold Cup, Hamilton, Bermuda
November 20-22, 2015 – Monsoon Cup Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia (TBA)
December 18-20, 2015 – Liga Layar Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
January 26-30, 2016 – Monsoon Cup, Malaysia *

* World Championship Events

2015/6 Tour Card Holders
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar
Eric Monnin (SUI) Team SailBot
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team
Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Aschenbrenner Racing
Nicolai Sehested (DEN) TREFOR Racing
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team
Reuben Corbett (NZL) Corbett Racing

Tour website: http://wmrt.com

Source: WMRT