Tour Cards announced for 2017 World Match Racing Tour

Phil Robertson (NZL) tops the list of the ten Tour Card holders that will compete in the 2017 World Match Racing Tour. Robertson returns to defend his Match Racing World Champion title that he won in Marstrand last July which earned his team a million dollar payday.

The New Zealand team will need to hit the ground running at the championship season opener this month in Australia if they are to start building their campaign towards this year’s world championship. Phil Robertson Racing will continue with the same four-man crew that won in Marstrand. “I think I owe it to the boys to give them a shot at defending the title,” declared Robertson.

The ten Tour Card holders are guaranteed entry to all World Match Racing Tour championship level events in the build up to the World Championship at the end of the season.

2017 Tour Cards
Sally Barkow (USA)
Taylor Canfield (ISV)
Yann Guichard (FRA)
Sam Gilmour (AUS)
Phil Robertson (NZL)
Nicolai Sehested (DEN)
Chris Steele (NZL)
Iker Martinez (ESP)
Eric Monnin (SUI)
Ian Williams (GBR)

2017 World Championship Level Events:
WMRT Match Cup Australia, March 20-25
WMRT Congressional Cup, March 29-April 2
WMRT Northern Europe, June 6-11 (Venue TBA)
WMRT Match Cup Sweden, July 3-8 (Venue TBA)
WMRT Match Cup USA, August 1-6 (Venue TBA)
WMRT Match Cup America, October 3-8 (Venue TBA)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
WMRT Match Cup China, November 3-10 (Venue TBA)

Background: In 2013, Swedish company Aston Harald AB acquired the design and production rights to the one-design M32 catamarans. In July 2015, Aston Harald AB acquired the World Match Racing Tour, which then began the use of the M32 during the 2016 Tour. Launched in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour is the leading professional match racing series sanctioned by World Sailing. www.wmrt.com