Match Racing - Sun Microsystems Australia Cup 2000 - Day 3
by John Roberson 30 Mar 2000 14:50 BST
BERTRAND PACE TAKES THE LEAD AFTER DAY 3
Frenchman Bertrand Pace and his Le Defi Francais team, have taken over the
top spot on the scoreboard after the third day of the Sun Microsystems
Australia Cup.
Bertrand and his crew almost had a dream day today (Thursday) winning six
out of the seven races they sailed, and just missing out on a Aus$10,000
bonus.
The bonus was payable to the first skipper to win ten consecutive races,
with the French winning ten races over the past two days, but split in the
middle by a loss to James Spithill of Australia.
After a late start to the day, as the crews waited ashore for some breeze
to ruffle the glassey Swan River, the action came thick and fast when the
fabled Fremantle Doctor seabreeze arrived.
Peter Gilmour and his Japanese Pizz LA team, currently second on the
scoreboard, suffered a gash in the side of their boat when he collided with
Peter Holmberg's Starsail team.
Gilmour protested the umpires' decision to penalize him, but this was
dismissed, though the jury recommended that the cost of the damage be
shared between the two teams.
The last race of the day turned into a thriller, with the two "young guns"
of the series, Team New Zealand's Dean Barker and James Spithill of Team
Young Australia having a dead-heat.
This puts Barker and his crew in third place, half a point behind Gilmour,
and looking good to make the cut into the semi-finals.
In fourth place is Peter Holmberg's Starsail team, but it is very tight
around this area of the scoreboard, with three skippers all having seven
wins, but with Holmberg having sailed less races, and therefore having
fewer losses.
The other two skippers currently vying for the fourth semi-finals place are
Sweden's Bjorn Hansen and local veteran Gordon Lucas, each with seven wins.
Though it is early days, with the double round robin elimination series
only just past the halfway mark, Pace is looking likely to take a big
points lead in the Swedish Match Tour.
Having won last week's opening event, the Steinlager Line 7 Cup in
Auckland, he got a head start on the championship leaderboard, and another
good result here in Perth will strengthen his position to take the
US$50,000 first prize.
SUN MICROSYSTEMS AUSTRALIA CUP 2000 - Results after Day 3
Helm Nation Won Lost
----------------------------------------------
Bertrand Pace France 11 4
Peter Gilmour Japan 10 3
Dean Barker New Zealand 9.5 3
Peter Holmberg US Virgin Islands 7 6
Bjorn Hansen Sweden 7 7
Gordon Lucas Australia 7 8
Magnus Holmberg Sweden 6 7
Sebastien Destremau Australia 6 7
James Spithill Australia 5.5 7
Luc Pillot France 5 8
Jes Gram-Hansen Denmark 5 9
Andy Green Great Britain 3 12
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