Sun Microsystems Australia Cup 2001 Preview
by John Roberson 19 Mar 2001 10:34 GMT
SEVEN AMERICA'S CUP TEAMS IN THE LINE UP
There are seven America's Cup crews amongst the twelve teams that will contest the Sun Microsystems Australia Cup, on Perth's Swan River from Wednesday to Sunday this week (21 - 25 March).
Fresh from finishing second in Auckland's Steinlager Line 7 Cup last week, is Kiwi Gavin Brady, who now sails for Italy's Prada Challenge, and is a past winner of the Sun Microsystem Australia Cup.
Local lad made good Peter Gilmour, now leads the OneWorld Challenge out of Seattle, and is the only skipper to have won this event four times in the past, he knows the boats and the river.
Veteran campaigner Chris Dickson is another Kiwi lured to the challenger side of the fence, to skipper America's Oracle Racing Team on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf in 2003.
Sweden's Magnus Holmberg has done this event many times, but this is the first time he represents an America's Cup Challenge, his country's Victory Challenge.
The British are back in the Cup arena for the first time since it was sailed off Fremantle, in 1987, Andy Beadsworth flies the flag for the GBR Challenge on the Swan river this week.
James Spithill, from Sydney, made a name for himself at the last Cup in Auckland, where he was the youngest skipper, and has now joined Peter Gilmour's OneWorld team.
American Ken Read is the chosen helmsman for Cup legend Dennis Conner's team, which will represent the New York Yacht Club in 2003, a new comer to match racing, his sailing record is, nonetheless, very impressive.
Though not with an America's Cup team now, Neville Wittey, another Sydney skipper, has experienced the pressure of Cup sailing, as well as Olypmic competition.
Frenchman Luc Pillot has no Cup affiliation, but nearly ten years of experience on the world match racing circuit have made him into a tough competitor.
Italy's Nicola Celon is ranked twentieth in the world, with much of his experience coming from the Soling class, in which he competed at last year's Olympics on Sydney Harbour.
Jes Gram-Hansen is one of Denmark's rising young sailing stars, a product of the country's match racing academy, near Copenhagen, he has climbed to seventh place on the ranking ladder in a couple of years.
Jesper Radich, another Dane, comes from the same academy as his compatriot, and is a very tough competitor, having risen to fifth place on the world rankings.
So the stage is set for a series of battles on Perth's Swan River, that promise plenty of action, and if last week's Steinleger Line 7 regatta is any indication, will be fought to the bitter end.
The action starts on Wednesday (21st), the series featuring a double round robin, in which all the skippers sail against each of the others twice, followed by semi-finals and finals.
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