Match Race France at Marseille - Preview

Morvan needs a good result in Marseille at Match Race France to challenge for the Alpari World Match Racing Tour title © Rick Tomlinson / AWMRT

Mistral conditions in Marseille ahead of Match Race France © YANMAR Racing

Morvan: Victory in Marseille and we can mount tour challenge

As the world's top match racers arrive in Marseille for Match Race France this week, they embark on two crucial events in two weeks, which could transform the Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT) leaderboard ahead of the season-finale Monsoon Cup in December. Pierre-Antoine Morvan believes his Vannes Agglo Sailing Team can be one of the surprise packages.

Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team comes to his home regatta after a podium finish at the recent St. Moritz Match Race and a strong performance at last week's final warm-up, Internationeaux de France de Match Racing in Pornichet, where he lost in the final to compatriot Mathieu Richard.

Morvan holds a Tour Card for the first time this year but has proved his abilities against the world's top match racers, establishing joint third position in the overall Tour leaderboard. He now feels that a win at his favourite event of the season can set up an exciting showdown for the Tour title. He said: "We have been looking forward to this event, it will be a great feeling to sail the Alpari World Tour in France. We know the boats as we use the J80's at home and we know the event from previous years.

"If we win Match Race France, we can start thinking about winning the whole Tour. Coming into our first full season we were targeting a top 5 finish. Now I think we can do a good event here and go to the Monsoon Cup aiming for the podium and challenging for the title hopefully."

Twenty-five points are available to each the winner of Match Race France and the subsequent Argo Group Gold Cup in Bermuda (1-7 Oct) and should one team manage to win both, they could transform their season as Johnie Berntsson managed in the 2011 season, taking a podium finish at the last event of the season.

Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team went into last year's final three events in mid-table but managed to take second place at both the Argo Group Gold Cup and Monsoon Cup, securing a third overall in the premier international sailing series. Having recorded a season-best fifth place at the recent St. Moritz Match Race and currently sitting in eighth position on the leaderboard, he is hoping that he can recreate that late run of results once again. He said: "I'm expecting us to finish strongly again this year, perhaps even more so than last year. It is still wide open this season I think, there are a few teams that could come through to challenge and we're one of them.

"I think you could say we've been a bit unlucky in some of the events this year. We've been knocked out three times by the eventual winners in Quarter Finals after performing well in qualifying rounds so there isn't too much to change.

"We had a three year goal when we started and we did that in our first full year, last year. Now the challenge is to be at the top of the podium and we'll do as well as we can now [Match Race France] and in Bermuda to put us in the best possible position going into the Monsoon Cup.

"I'm lucky that I have nine guys in this team so my crew will go back to Sweden from here and we have another set-up that will go out to Bermuda before I get there. We'll be in a good position compared to some of the teams who are competing in both and the guys out in Bermuda will hopefully help me through the jet lag!"

Match Race France sees wildcard entries from local favourite and 2011 event winner, Damien Iehl (FRA) Wind 2 Win, former ISAF Match Racing World Champion Adam Minoprio (NZL) Black Match and recent Women's Elliot 6m Olympic Champion, Tamara Echegoyen (ESP) Echegoyen Team.

Gold medallist Echegoyen is excited about taking on the world's top match races and thinks her team can really hone their abilities amongst a world class professional field. She said: "The Olympics was a great experience and something that made me very happy.

"This is the a very different challenge and it's the first time I've entered a men's event at this level. It'll definitely be a challenge and one I can really learn a lot from every day. It'll be really good for our development.

"I am expecting that perhaps the racing will be slightly more aggressive and with the bigger boats, it is likely to be a bit more physical than we are used to. Let's see how we get on."

Preparations for Match Race France (24 – 29 September) were put on hold after today's practice session was cancelled due to strong wind. Eight of the nine Tour Card Holders are competing in the sixth stage of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour and will take to the water tomorrow for Qualifying.

Follow Match Race France live online at www.wmrt.com/live.html.

Live event Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/wmrt_liverace

Overall Tour Championship Standings: (after 5 stages)

Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team – 93pts
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar – 87pts
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – 69pts
Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team – 69pts
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing – 64pts
Phil Robertson (NZ) WAKA Racing – 56pts
Laurie Jury (NZ) Kiwi Match – 49pts
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team – 35pts
Mathieu Richard (FRA) Loire Atlantique Sailing Team – 28pts
Jordan Reece (AUS) Estate Master Sailing Team – 22pts

Match Race France – Competing Teams:

Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
Tamara Echegoyen (ESP) Echegoyen Team
Simone Ferrarese (ITA) Ferrarese Racing Team
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team
Damien Iehl (FRA) Wind 2 Win
Laurie Jury (NZL) Kiwi Match
Adam Minoprio (NZL) Black Match
Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing
William Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar

Mistral Holds up the Action in Marseille (from YANMAR Racing)

The 2012 Alpari World Match Racing Tour moves to Marseille and the Mediterranean for the sixth event, with Match Race France getting underway on the 24th September. Peter Gilmour (skipper, AUS) and his YANMAR Racing team are currently in third overall on the Tour standings, right behind leaders Bjorn Hansen and Ian Williams. However, Gilmour’s tactician, Fred Guilmin (FRA) won in Marseille last year (with Damien Iehl), and YANMAR Racing will be looking to close the points gap at the top of the leaderboard.

Match Race France uses the quick and highly manoeuvrable J80 boats, and as with the St Moritz Match Cup these are four person boats. So the team will use the same line-up that raced in Switzerland, with Japan’s Yasuhiro Yaji handling the forward end of the boat. In the cockpit there will be lots of local knowledge, with France’s Thierry Douillard trimming and Guilmin on the mainsheet and doing tactics. Once again the regular bowman, Kazuhiko Sofuku will be sitting this one out.

The event opened today with the regular practice sessions, ahead of the first day of qualifying on the 25th September. Or at least that was the plan, but sailing was disrupted by a strong Mistral wind blowing down the Rhone valley after the passage of a cold front. It was 25-to-30 knots out on the water, and so Gilmour and his teammates joined the rest of the competition in the club, everyone hoping that the breeze would drop – it didn’t.

It was an opportunity for Thierry Douillard to rest up after requiring a couple of stitches yesterday. YANMAR Racing had arrived in Marseille two days early to do some extra practice, and Douillard had needed treatment after catching the bowsprit in his face during a high-speed move in yesterday’s Mistral.

Yasuhiro Yaji commented, ’We’re so lucky to already have had two day’s practice here, and today turned into a good rest day for our team – especially Thierry.’ Fortunately, the forecast for tomorrow is a little lighter, so qualifying should get underway on schedule in the morning. YANMAR Racing will be joining the action at flight four, racing against Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson.

There is a strong line-up at this year’s event with nearly all of the main contenders competing, including the overall Tour leader, Bjorn Hansen (SWE), and the defending World Champion and second placed Ian Williams (GBR). Also in Marseille, and vying for the overall podium at the end of the season, will be France’s Pierre-Antoine Morvan and Australia’s Keith Swinton, the latter was winner of the St Moritz Match Cup.

Tamara Echegoyen, the Spanish Gold Medallist from the Women’s Match Racing at the 2012 Olympics will also be competing, and returning to the Tour after his trip around the world in the Volvo Ocean Race will be former world champion, Adam Minoprio (NZL).