Scheidt leads Blackburn

At the conclusion of the qualifying rounding of the Laser World Championship in Bitez

Racing started on time today as a 15 knot north westerly wind greeted the sailors as they arrived on the course area. As with previous days the breeze was again very shifty and it was the fourth start before yellow fleet successfully got away after two general recalls and one postponement. Three races were scheduled but eventually only two were held following a problem setting the course for the third race in the shifty conditions.

At the first mark Brazilian sailor Andre Strepple, led from German Alexander Schlonski, with eventual race winner Swede Karl Suneson, rounding in fourth. By the time their second windward leg began the breeze had increased to 20 knots. Suneson found more speed in the stronger wind and gradually picked off the boats ahead of him to take the winners gun.

In the second race Suneson scored a second after Mark Mendelblatt, USA had a victory to go with his third in the first race.

Seven time former world champion Robert Scheidt, Brazil put his competitors on notice by winning both heats of Blue fleet. “I started in the middle of the line and tacked onto port and then held that tack for a fair while," commented Scheidt on his return ashore. "I finally got a shift back to the right so I tacked and was able to cross the whole fleet.” In both races he led from team GBR's Paul Goodison. Overall Goodison has moved up into eighth place overall after managing to discard his black flag disqualification from the beginning of the regatta.

The fleet will now compete in the final series of the championship which concludes on the 19 May.

Results (going into gold fleet)

Pos	Sailor	Sailno	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pnts
1	SCHEIDT Robert	BRA 179787	-6	5	1	1	1	1	9,0
2	BLACKBURN Michael	AUS 179773	3	-6	2	4	5	1	15,0
3	MENDELBLATT Mark	USA 179914	4	-25	3	1	3	4	15,0
4	SUNESON Karl	SWE 179905	6	-16	1	2	9	2	20,0
5	PEPPER Hamish	NZL 179883	1	8	-29	7	2	5	23,0
6	GERITZER Andreas	AUT 179777	-13	3	7	3	9	2	24,0
7	BLANCKENBERG Gareth	RSA 179891	7	5	5	9	4	-15	30,0
8	GOODISON Paul	GBR 179835	(bfd)	14	2	2	12	3	33,0
9	CASEY Brendan	AUS 179774	15	-25	3	6	6	3	33,0
10	MOBERG Peer	NOR 179878	12	-26	14	6	4	6	42,0
11	ARAPOV Mate	CRO 179804	10	-38	4	5	13	11	43,0
12	RIECK Mathias	GER 179843	9	1	(dnf)	8	17	10	45,0
13	SCHLONSKI Alexander	GER 179844	10	-42	5	10	10	14	49,0
14	LE BRETON Thomas	FRA 179827	9	6	-18	15	7	14	51,0
15	SLINGSBY Tom	AUS 179776	11	18	8	(dsq)	7	7	51,0
16	KLJAKOVIC GASPIC Ivan	CRO 179805	14	9	13	5	11	-20	52,0
17	MURATI Mathieu	FRA 179828	-39	1	15	19	1	17	53,0
18	MURDOCH Andrew	NZL 179882	24	-43	9	8	8	4	53,0
19	NYHOLM Anders	DEN 179816	-32	31	6	10	2	7	56,0
20	WESTMAN Fredrik	FIN 179826	14	14	11	-30	5	12	56,0
21	VUJASINOVIC Milan	CRO 179809	18	3	11	7	-32	18	57,0
22	POSTMA Pieter-Jan	NED 179877	-25	20	4	4	21	8	57,0
23	CHIMONAS Evangelos	GRE 179846	-27	10	14	11	17	9	61,0
24	ZBOGAR Vasilij	SLO 179897	5	-24	6	18	24	10	63,0
25	LIMA Gustavo	POR 179888	2	-35	20	16	16	12	66,0
26	ROMERO Diego	ARG 179772	15	19	-23	16	11	5	66,0
27	HOWARD Mark James	GBR 179837	4	13	(ocs)	22	15	13	67,0
28	STEYAERT Jeremie	FRA 179829	23	-42	10	14	3	22	72,0
29	MUSLUBAS Kemal	TUR 179908	22	11	18	-26	16	11	78,0
30	GRABOWSKI Maciej	POL 179886	3	(dsq)	9	12	42	19	85,0
31	RADELIC Luka	CRO 179807	13	12	(ocs)	21	31	9	86,0
32	HOLMAN Daniel	GBR 179836	5	46	(ocs)	3	6	28	88,0
33	LUTTMER Bernard	CAN 179798	30	-33	12	17	13	16	88,0
34	GUZYS Giedrius	LTU 179869	(bfd)	15	15	15	20	23	88,0
35	STREPPEL Andre	BRA 179788	(dnf)	2	8	22	23	34	89,0
36	MARTINEZ Luis	ESP 179820	21	7	16	24	21	-25	89,0
37	BLAKEY Matthew	NZL 179880	29	9	17	13	-36	21	89,0
38	NEGRI Diego	ITA 179860	46	8	(ocs)	11	12	16	93,0
39	KIM Ho Kon	KOR 179866	-57	32	17	9	15	21	94,0
40	TABERNERO Angelo	ESP 179822	18	17	16	21	22	-35	94,0
41	STYLES Hugh	GBR 179840	20	36	19	14	-38	8	97,0
42	BULLOT Michael	NZL 179881	2	16	22	-35	34	26	100,0
43	BON Sander	NED 179873	28	23	30	12	8	-32	101,0
44	ULRIKKEHOLM Morten	DEN 179814	29	-39	37	13	19	6	104,0
45	JULIE Allan	SEY 179895	37	20	12	17	19	-40	105,0
46	LEWIS Andrew	USA 179913	-33	15	32	18	22	20	107,0
47	MICHAIL Aristeidis	GRE 179848	1	27	28	-31	29	24	109,0
48	IRONMONGER Ricky	AUS 179775	33	-45	21	23	14	18	109,0
49	CHILDS Andrew	CAN 179792	12	17	33	32	-33	23	111,0
50	COMMANDER Andrew	GBR 179834	17	13	25	27	-36	30	112,0