Ready for knockouts at World Match Racing Tour

Marstrand, Sweden (July 5, 2019) – After high winds cancelled racing yesterday, GKSS Match Cup Sweden, the final event of the 2018 World Match Racing Tour season, resumed in earnest today with the eight team repechage round in glorious conditions.

Winning their respective matches and advancing to the Quarter-finals are two of the local favourite Swedish teams, Måns Holmberg (SWE) Stratsys Racing and Nicklas Dackhammer (SWE) ESSIQ Racing. Australian skippers, Harry Price (AUS) Down Under Racing, and defending Match Racing World Champion Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Cetilar Mirsky Racing also advance to the Quarterfinals.

Opening the days racing with support from his family sitting high on the Marstrand rocks, Australia’s Harry Price was keen to impress winning the first race against USA’s Markus Edegran (Team Torrent).

After dropping the second race, Price pulled back to win two straight and close out a 3-1 score to advance to the Quarterfinals. Fellow Australian Mirsky defeated his opponent and local favourite Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 3-1.

The Swedish teams of Måns Holmberg (Stratsys Racing) and Nicklas Dackhammer (ESSIQ Racing) were able to make lighter work of their respective matches against opponents PJ Postma (NED) and Daniel Bjornholt (DEN), both posting 3-0 scores to secure their spots in the Quarterfinals.

To decide the pairs for the Quarterfinals starting tomorrow, the winner of the earlier fleet race Qualifying stage, Phil Robertson (NZL), had the first of the ‘picks’ for his Quarter Final match, selecting Måns Holmberg as his opponent.

Taylor Canfield (USA) US One selected Harry Price for his opponent, believing an advantage as Price’s team was slightly under the weight limit, but Price remained confident. “We’re keen to race Taylor, I don’t think we’ve actually raced them [US One] in the M32s before, they’ve also have had a few days sitting around the island so we are keen to come out firing tomorrow.”

Defending GKSS Match Cup Sweden champion Yann Guichard (FRA) Spindrift Racing selected defending Match Racing World Champion Torvar Mirsky for his Quarter Final match. “It’s going to be a tough match but the records are in our favor before this, but it will be close, we are looking forward to it.”

The final pairing pits six-time Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar against ESSIQ Racing’s Nicklas Dackhammer. “We are feeling confident; we have sailed many hours [on the M32] this year so we are feeling good for tomorrow,” commented Dackhammer.

Tomorrow’s Quarterfinal racing starts at 10am with fine weather forecast. The Semifinals and Finals will take place on July 6 and 7 in front of a record crowd expected on the island of Marstrand this weekend. The winner of the event will be crowned 2018-19 World Sailing Match Racing World Champion.
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The GKSS Match Cup Sweden event celebrates its 25th year in 2019, a long term flagship event of the World Match Racing Tour since its inception in 2000, then named the Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour.

The GKSS Match Cup Sweden, which is doubling as the winner-take-all Match Racing World Championship, is scheduled for July 3-7.

Day Three Results:

For more information on WMRT, visit www.wmrt.com
For more information on GKSS Match Cup Sweden, visit www.gkssmatchcupsweden.se

Confirmed skippers with World Sailing Ranking*
• Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar – #1
• Harry Price (AUS) Down Under Racing – #2
• Nicklas Dackhammer (SWE) Essiq Racing Team – #6
• Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team – #9
• Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Cetilar Mirsky Racing Team – #13
• Yann Guichard (FRA) Spindrift Racing – #19
• Mans Holmberg (SWE) Stratsys Racing Team – #23
• Taylor Canfield (USA) US One – #27
• Phil Robertson (NZL) China One Ningbo – #33
• Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) Sailing Team NL – #134
• Markus Edegran (USA) Team Torrent – #194
• Daniel Björnholt (DEN) Youth Vikings Denmark – #342
* Ranking as of June 12, 2019

Background: Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The World Tour represents a series of independently organized and officially sanctioned match racing events which are used to award prize money and the Match Racing World Championship title.

Source: World Match Racing Tour