Star-studded cast

We preview this weekend's Star World Championship in Gaeta, Italy

The Audi Star Class World Championship kicks off this weekend in Gaeta, Italy with a famous last minute entry in the form of the American pre-Olympic trials winner, past World Champion and well-known America's Cup skipper, Paul Cayard. Cayard's entry in the regatta, brings the total number of competitors up to 116.

The World Championship runs from 24 April to 2 May and has been organised by the Lega Navale Italiana of Gaeta, the Club Nautico of Gaeta, the Sezione Vela of the Fiamme Gialle and the Base Nautica Flavio Gioia in collaboration with the City of Gaeta.

It will prove to be an exciting regatta. For many of the competitors it will be the last occasion they can qualify their country for a berth in Athens or that they can personally qualify themselves to their national selectors.

As ever with the Star class, the fleet is packed with the big names. The line-up includes the recently crowned European champions Freddie Lööf and Anders Ekström from Sweden and the promising runners-up at the Europeans, the French crew of Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau.

Aside from Lööf (2001) many past Star World Champions will be taking part. These include Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell (2002), Mark Reynolds (2005, 1995 and Olympic Gold), Australian, Colin Beashel (1998), local heroes Enrico Chieffi (1996) and Roberto Benamati (1991), Canadian Ross Macdonald (1994), Torben Grael (1990) and, of course, Cayard who was World Champion all the way back in 1988.

In terms of national entries Italy leads with 37 boats, followed by the Swiss fleet of eight.
Following registration and measurement tomorrow and Friday, the event kicks off with a pre-regatta on Saturday before racing begins in earnest on Sunday (25 April), continuing until the following Saturday (1 May) with a layday on the Wednesday.

The Star Class World Championship is presented thanks to the support of the main Sponsor: AUDI, and with the participation of the Silver Sponsors: NAUTICA, POSTEL and WIND.

Entries

Labandeira Julio / Thompson Valentin	ARG 7213
Chometowski Alejandro F. / Bunge Manuel	ARG 7316
Zanetti Alberto / Lucca Mariano	ARG 7909
Murray Iain / Pallney Andrew	AUS 7836
Jones Michael / Merrington Peter	AUS 8093
Beashel Colin / Giles David	AUS 8157
Spitzauer Hans / Hanakamp Andreas	AUT ----
Sturm Albert / Rottner Bernhard	AUT 7481
Denk Andreas / Brenner Wolfgang	AUT 7572
Palleschitz Ronald / Weinreich Gerhard	AUT 7846
Oehlwein Andreas / Malushek Gert	AUT 8001
Passegger Walter / Kropfitsch Martin	AUT 8123
Bromby Peter / White Lee	BER 7988
Grael Torben / Ferreira Marcelo	BRA 8109
Macdonald Ross / Wolfs Mike	CAN 8168
Lovrovic Marin / Marin Lovrovic	CRO 7955
Jensen Johnny / Orsted Peter	DEN 8066
Holm Nichlas / Olesen Claus	DEN 8101
Andersson Benny /	DEN 8147
Westergaard Stig / Neergaard Dann	DEN 8179
De Castro B. Roberto / Arrarte E. Pablo	ESP 7581
Caprile Mario / Vigosa Alberto	ESP 7807
Leeve Joni / Lamberg Timo	FIN 8004
Dahlberg Marko / Kerki Ville	FIN 8073
Makila Jali / Heinonen Erkki	FIN 8094
Berenguier Regis / Berenguier Vincent	FRA 7714
Rohart Xavier / Rambeau Pascal	FRA 8107
Razmilovic Ante / Feel Edmund	GBR 7943
Percy Iain / Mitchell Steve	GBR 8025
Biganishvili Guram / Grigolia Giorgi	GEO 7423
Kappes Klaus / Rutz Steffen	GER 7552
Rauch Hubert / Conrads Christian	GER 7575
Paucksuh Christian / Andra Peter	GER 7577
Hagen Alexander / Wolfram Jochen	GER 7959
Merkelbach Hubert / Kitzbum Oliver	GER 8016
Rotermund Philip / Mehles Markus	GER 8033
Pickel Marc / Borkdenski Ingo	GER 8140
Koch Michael / Koy Markus	GER 8150
Tsoulfas Theodore / Loudaros Lakoyos	GRE 7973
Aleyras Stayros / Stylianos George	GRE 7980
Pelekanakis Leonidas / Kontogouris George	GRE 8079
Katai Peter / Perckel Antal	HUN 8115
Tenke Tibor / Bendicsek Jozsep	HUN 8166
Ramchandran Manesh / Mongia Nitin	IND 7901
Mansfield Mark / Collins Killian	IRL 8110
Treacy Maxwell / Shanks Anthony	IRL 8158
Kant Andreas / Coppo Franco	ITA 6889
Di Russo Pier Paolo / Lucciola Pierluigi	ITA 7099
Boggi Lucio / Tarabella Andrea	ITA 7237
Tonoli Claudio / Ballarini Davide	ITA 7286
Chinca Valerio / Ciano Massimo	ITA 7339
Bonini Gaudenzio / Calderoni Alberto	ITA 7445
Benamati Roberto / Domenicali Filippo	ITA 7488
Gallo Andrea / Russo Goffredo	ITA 7503
Balderi Antonio / Anguillesi Amerigo	ITA 7528
Antolini Fabrizio / Albanese Claudio	ITA 7587
Loens Jan-H. / Hettinger Michael	ITA 7682
Oliviero Nello / Pisa Daniele	ITA 7685
Improta Riccardo / Lupoli Andrea	ITA 7687
Celon Nicola / Lambertenghi Sergio	ITA 7827
Racchelli Andrea / Ferrari Massimiliano	ITA 7881
Testa Marco / Giacummo Livio	ITA 7906
Degennaro Davide / Pisciottu Stefano	ITA 7941
de Denaro Franco / Simoni Lorenzo	ITA 7949
Fusco Stefano / Meloni Alessandro	ITA 7958
Colaninno Ferdinando / Brizzi Giuseppe	ITA 8014
Poggi Giampiero / Stilo Giovanni	ITA 8029
Cristofori Pierpaolo / Fogliazza Carlo	ITA 8030
Gatti Giulio / Cristaldini Corrado	ITA 8040
Lanfranchi Alessandro / Cinquini Alessandro	ITA 8057
Simeone Luca / Rocca Leone	ITA 8076
Irrera Renato / Medolago Federico	ITA 8081
Orlando Michele / Piazza Daniele	ITA 8089
Filippi Luca / Cisbani Paolo	ITA 8090
Chieffi Enrico / Sommariva Agostino	ITA 8142
Simoneschi Riccardo / Marenco Marco	ITA 8143
Semeraro Paolo / Landolfi Vittorio	ITA 8155
Minghetti Marco / Moget Nicolas	ITA 8160
Pisanelli Salvatore / Fullone Massimo	ITA 8165
Bruni Francesco / Vigna Guido	ITA 8180
D'alì Pietro / Romeo Piero	ITA 8182
Tamburini Antoni / Ricci Renzo	ITA 8183
Fravezzi Albino / Salani Mario	ITA 8197
Nazzaro Paolo / Marullo Riccardo	ITA 8202
Cepurnieks Eizens / Muzicenko Alexander	LAT 8135
Kok J. W. / van der Krogt G.	NED 7633
Jongerius Peter / Zandstra Freark	NED 7900
Wentholt Roeland / van der Heidjerl Gert	NED 7969
Neeleman Mark / v. Nieherk Peter	NED 8028
Heiner Roy / Breuseker Alex	NED 8170
Kacs Serge / Martens Jean Pierre	NED 8187
Lord Rohan / Taylor Andrew	NZL 8169
Domingos Alfonso / Santos Bernardo	POR 8145
Firsov Yuri / Kramskoi Sergei	RUS 7798
Tarakanov Vitaly / Bughuev Alexey	RUS 7805
Lavrov Alexey / Kuleshov Alexander	RUS 8134
Shayduko Georgy / Smirnow Nicolai	RUS 8171
Bostjan Antoncic / Stkakh Gennadi	SLO 7287
Dannesboe Henrik / Lombard Antoine	SUI 7319
Friderich Marc / de Wit Paul	SUI 7578
Timm Roman / Huber Kaspar	SUI 7582
Wyss Daniel / Fatih Brian	SUI 7645
Stegneier Daniel / Stegmeier Beat	SUI 7990
Gautschi Cristoph / Seeberger Uli	SUI 8009
Marazzi Flavio / De Maria Enrico	SUI 8085
Stockli Hans / Erbe Axel	SUI 8133
Carlsson Sune / Nilsson Benny	SWE ----
Krook Ingvar / Gamper Erik	SWE 7978
Loof Fredrik / Ekström Anders	SWE 8191
Avksentiev Eugen / Shapovalov Mykola	UKR 80
Gureyev Vasyl / Korotkov Volodymyr	UKR 8096
Pichugin Sergey / Timokhov Sergey	UKR 8153
Kouyoumdjian Juan / --	Und_Constr
Bonanni Claude / Cutting Steve	USA 7885
Szabo Georg /	USA 7995
Shiebler Howie / Stout Will	USA 8077
Reynolds Mark /	USA 8129
Cayard Paul / Trinter Phil	USA 8155