Knockout time at Match Racing Worlds

Sydney, Australia (December 16, 2022) – The field of 10 teams representing seven nations competing in the 2022 Open Match Racing World Championship has been thinned to eight for the Quarter Final stage at the finale of the World Match Racing Tour, hosted by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia on December 14-18.

Following a qualifying round robin to advance the top two finishers USA’s Chris Poole and Denmark’s Jeppe Borch, the remaining eight competed in a repechage round for the final six positions.

As the forecasted southerly breeze built to a fresh 18-25 knots on Sydney Harbour today with gusts of 30 knots, it was a test of the best match racing skills on the Elliott 7s. Local Sydney sailor Cole Tapper and USA’s Dave Hood/DH3 Racing did not survive the test.

The remaining six teams joined Borch and Poole to complete the draw for the quarter-finals which got underway in the late afternoon after the skippers drew their opponents in front of the Sydney Opera House.

Completing the first flight of the quarter-finals before the end of the day, event favorites Chris Poole, Jeppe Borch, Nick Egnot-Johnson, and Harry Price went to win their opening matches against their chosen competitors.

The forecast for tomorrow is expecting all but the same conditions with the Southerly breeze set in for the final days.

Event details – Crew lists – Results

2022 World Match Racing Tour Schedule
April 14-16 – Ficker Cup – Long Beach, CA, USA
April 18-23 – Congressional Cup – Long Beach, CA, USA*
April 28-May 1 – Szczecin Match Race – Szczecin, Poland
May 6-8 – Porto Montenegro Match Race – Tivat, Montenegro
May 20-22 – NJK Open Spring Cup – Helsinki, Finland
May 24-29 – Island Match Cup – Puerto Rico (cancelled)
June 4-5 – GKSS Spring Cup – Gothenburg, Sweden
June 16-19 – OM International Ledro Match Race – Ledro, Italy
July 4-9 – GKSS Match Cup Marstrand – Marstrand, Sweden* (cancelled)
August 12-14 – Chicago Grand Slam – Chicago, IL, USA
August 18-21 – International Match Race for the Detroit Cup – Detroit, MI, USA
August 25-29 – Oakcliff International – Oyster Bay, NY, USA
August 30-September 3 – Thompson Cup – Oyster Bay, NY, USA
September 7-11 – Baltic Match Race – Tallin, Estonia
September 29-October 3 – Match Race Germany – Langenargen, Germany (cancelled)
September 30-October 3 – DBS Marina Bay Cup – Marina Bay, Singapore
October 7-9 – Polish Open – Szczecin, Poland
October 17-22 – Bermuda Gold Cup – Hamilton, Bermuda* (cancelled)
December 13-18- WMRT Finals – Sydney, Australia*
*World Championship (WC) Events

WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR
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 WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body – World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion.

Previous champions include Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Adam Minoprio (NZL), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Bertrand Pace (FRA), Jesper Radich (DEN), Phil Robertson (NZL) and Ian Williams (GBR).

Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD23million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com