One for Razmilovic

The UK sailor pulls himself into the top three with a first place today at the Audi Etchells World Championship

Britain's Ante Razmilovic has won race four of the 2006 Audi Etchells Worlds in Fremantle this afternoon, ahead of American Craig Healy and New Zealander Andy Gair. While series leader Jud Smith has extended his overall lead, behind him the field is tightening.

Ante Razmilovic's win today takes him from fourth tio third place overall in the regatta. The 35 year old Briton is not a new kid on the block, having won the 2003 European titles, the 2004 British titles and only being beaten in the 2004 North Americans on count back.

While Razmilovic has now made a podium claim, the four times Worlds runner up and three times North American champion, Jud Smith, has further tightened his grip on the 2006 Worlds, stretching his lead over Britain's Andy Beadsworth with a solid performace today.

Smith is determined to make this year count and take the so far elusive spot at the top of the podium. "It's kind of embarrassing, to have come second in the Etchells Worlds four times. But there is a long way to go in this regatta and I've learned not to take anything for granted. Last year we were leading up until the second last day and one mistake put us away. We just want to have a chance going into the last day," he stated.

Ante Razmilovic sailing with Jezz Fanstone and Stuart Finn, told the story of today's race. "Today we started about a quarter of the way down from the committee boat," he recounts. "We put the hammer down and did not tack for 20 seconds, Stuart Childerley had the best start; he was about a length extended on us about four boats down from us and the boats between us were 'spat out' quickly, then the guys above us fell in behind us.

After five minutes we made a big jump on Stuart and he fell down behind us and tacked away. Richard Coxon who started above the committee boat side, reached down towards us. Craig Healy had started further down the line, crossed us, and we followed Jud Smith and Mark Bradford.

Down the run we managed to pass Jud and Mark. Craig Healy rounded the left hand gate, we went round the other. We just beat him to the weather mark, we were quick down the run and extended five or six boat lengths and then went on from there."

Andy Beadsworth is currently second overall. 'We were lucky today," he says. "We were buried at the left hand end at the start in the third row, sucking dirty air. We somehow found a lane, took it, hitched up, found another hitched up again and lo' and behold we were tenth at the top mark. So that was a recovery.

Down the run, we had boats inside us and that stopped us gybing so we overlaid. Then we went round the right hand mark and sailed back through some dirty air. We will get that bit right soon.

Today was a tough day; we got the hard bits right and struggled with the simple things. When we start getting the simple things right, we will do really well."

Results:

Pos	Helm/Crew	Sail Number	R1	R2	R3	R4	Tot
1	Jud Smith/Dirk Kneulman/Andrew Wills/Thomas Saunders	USA 1061 - Feng Shui	1( 1)	2( 2)	1( 1)	6( 6)	10
2	Andy Beadsworth/James McHugh/Simon Fry	GBR 1187 - Anam Chara	3( 3)	4( 4)	2( 2)	10( 10)	19
3	Ante Razmilovic/Jez Fanstone/Stuart Flinn	GBR 1333 - Swedish Blue	9( 9)	9( 9)	12( 12)	1( 1)	31
4	Alastair Gair/David Ridley/Carl Peters/Derek Scott	NZL 950 - Velsheda	2( 2)	23( 23)	4( 4)	3( 3)	32
5	Julian Plante/Michael Coxon/Nick Garland/Matt Day	AUS 1254 - North Sydney (NSW)	25( 25)	5( 5)	7( 7)	7( 7)	44
6	Mark Bradford/Graeme Taylor/Steve Jarvin	AUS 1317 - Una Mas (QLD)	5( 5)	34( 34)	5( 5)	4( 4)	48
7	John Bertrand/Ian Johnson/Tim Ede	AUS 1321 - Triad (VIC)	10( 10)	17( 17)	9( 9)	12( 12)	48
8	Stuart Childerley/Simon Russell/Roger Marino	GBR 987 - Bedrock	27( 27)	11( 11)	8( 8)	5( 5)	51
9	Cameron Miles/Phil Smidmore/Dave Samson	AUS 117- Fast Harry (NSW)	4( 4)	14( 14)	17( 17)	17( 17)	52
10	Jake Gunther/Russell Tyson/Richard Ironmonger	AUS 1244 - Dr Evil (VIC)	12( 12)	15( 15)	10( 10)	16( 16)	53
11	Murray Smith/Brad Sheridan/Barrie Sturgeon	AUS 866 (WA)	6( 6)	27( 27)	13( 13)	9( 9)	55
12	Mark Bulka/Stewart Nichols/Steve Young	AUS 1277 - Critical Balance (VIC)	18( 18)	13( 13)	6( 6)	29( 29)	66
13	David Clark/Stephen Barlow/Andrew Smith	AUS 1131 - Humpback (NSW)	19( 19)	1( 1)	30( 30)	21( 21)	71
14	Roger Hickman/Phillip Endersbee/Peter Inchbold	AUS 1088 - Sun Tzu (NSW)	22( 22)	10( 10)	16( 16)	23( 23)	71
15	Chris Busch/Rod Hagebols/Willem van Waay	USA 969 - Happy Ending	7( 7)	7( 7)	31( 31)	27( 27)	72
16	Rob Brown/Bruce Wookey/Garry Gudmunson	AUS 1326 - Steampacket VI (NSW)	33( 33)	3( 3)	33( 33)	8( 8)	77
17	Noel Drennan/Peter Ahern/Bill Browne	AUS 1215 - Boat X (VIC)	45( 45)	12( 12)	3( 3)	20( 20)	80
18	David Bedford/Phil Lawrence/Jonathon Taylor	GBR 1332 - Gerlert	34( 34)	18( 18)	11( 11)	26( 26)	89
19	Peter Chappell/Sam Gill/Michael Hughes	AUS 1289 - Two Palms & a Hammock (WA)	29( 29)	21( 21)	25( 25)	18( 18)	93
20	Alastair McMichael/Richard Edinger/Andrew McAullay	AUS 916 - Daylight Robbery (WA)	30( 30)	19( 19)	22( 22)	22( 22)	93
21	Barry Parkin/Mike Till/Bill Masterman	GBR 1325 - Festina2	35( 35)	6( 6)	35( 35)	19( 19)	95
22	Richard Coxon/Ed Mc Carthy/Graeme Spence	AUS 1273 - North Sydney Station (NSW)	21( 21)	36( 36)	27( 27)	11( 11)	95
23	Damien King/Simon Cunnington/James Ware/Andy Butler	AUS 924 - Barry White (VIC)	26( 26)	37( 37)	18( 18)	15( 15)	96
24	Craig Healy/Kieth Stahnke/David Gruver	USA 946 - I Love My Wife	8( 8)	70(OCS)	23( 23)	2( 2)	103
25	Skip Lissiman/ Ben Durham/Kane Williamson	AUS 891 - Bandwagon (WA)	24( 24)	30( 30)	20( 20)	30( 30)	104
26	Chris Pratt/Nick Paterson/Mark O Brien	AUS 1143 - Squid (SA)	16( 16)	41( 41)	24( 24)	28( 28)	109
27	Mark Thornburrow/Gray Gibson/Mark Parker	HKG 105 - Quest	31( 31)	16( 16)	38( 38)	25( 25)	110
28	Michael Manford/Dean McAullay/Richard Rowell	AUS 1356 - The Croc (WA)	15( 15)	70(OCS)	15( 15)	14( 14)	114
29	Mark Johnson/Robert Bishop/Nik Burfoot	AUS 1124 - Roulette (NSW)	46( 46)	20( 20)	14( 14)	42( 42)	122
30	Rob Bird/Graeme Johnson/Nic Gray	AUS 1320 - Rhapsody in Blue (WA)	28( 28)	25( 25)	39( 39)	31( 31)	123
31	Richard Burrows/David Burrows/Peter Coad	IRL 1015 - Matatu Durh	32( 32)	29( 29)	19( 19)	48( 48)	128
32	Joseph Bainton/Ched Proctor/Tod Raynor	USA 1153 - Junkyard Dog	42( 42)	8( 8)	37( 37)	49( 49)	136
33	Rod Jones/Bucky Smith/Gregor McAllan-Smith	AUS 925 - Oxygen (QLD)	14( 14)	70(DNF)	40( 40)	13( 13)	137
34	Peter McNeil/Peter McLachlan/Rick Maxwell	AUS 915 (NSW)	44( 44)	24( 24)	42( 42)	33( 33)	143
35	Lindsay Kennedy/Trevor Swinburne/Peter Waters	NZL 1314 - Addiction	20( 20)	42( 42)	43( 43)	40( 40)	145
36	Andrew Cooper/David Heritage/George Cooper	GBR 992 - China White	17( 17)	33( 33)	46( 46)	53( 53)	149
37	Michael Jones/Bill Sykes/Roy Ditmarsch	AUS 1119 - Feathers Chalk Beans (NSW)	11( 11)	60( 60)	36( 36)	44( 44)	151
38	David Royle/Peter Royle/Jon Ward	AUS 1136 - Bohica (SA)	52( 52)	31( 31)	44( 44)	24( 24)	151
39	Dan O Grady/Paul Reilly/Brian Hammersley	IRL 1330 - Fraculator	13( 13)	55( 55)	49( 49)	38( 38)	155
40	Gary Smith/Mark Lovelady/Mick McAulley	AUS 883 - Tusk (WA)	23( 23)	22( 22)	70(OCS)	43( 43)	158
41	Martin Payne/Jonathon Mortimer/Steve Birbeck	GBR 1329 - Selection Box!	48( 48)	56( 56)	21( 21)	35( 35)	160
42	Gordan Lucas/Geoff Chambers/John Gardiner	AUS 781 - Abracadabra (WA)	36( 36)	43( 43)	41( 41)	41( 41)	161
43	Grantham Kitto/Brad Moore/Simon Shaw	AUS 963 - The Rat (WA)	55( 55)	32( 32)	32( 32)	46( 46)	165
44	Doug Flynn/Mark Cartwright/Tim Powell	GBR 1165 - Wobbegong	38( 38)	47( 47)	29( 29)	52( 52)	166
45	Tim Patton/Mark Thomas/Simon Wilder	BER 1249	41( 41)	70(OCS)	26( 26)	37( 37)	174
46	Andrew Whittome/Jim Gregory/John Callahan	USA 1283 - Down Under	57( 57)	57( 57)	28( 28)	32( 32)	174
47	Dirk van der Struyf/Reid Fleming/Torvar Mirsky	AUS 1160 - Liquidity (WA)	49( 49)	28( 28)	47.3(RDG)	65( 65)	189.3
48	Gordon Blaauw/Andrew Short/Peter Kernot	AUS 939 - Power & The Passion (WA)	50( 50)	39( 39)	34( 34)	67( 67)	190
49	Robert J Elliott/Sam Richmond/Andrew Yates	GBR 1036 - Esprit	40( 40)	51( 51)	54( 54)	45( 45)	190
50	Ian Anderson/Peter Vos/Gus McBrair	AUS 1117 - Seven P s (WA)	62( 62)	26( 26)	70(OCS)	34( 34)	192
51	Rob Davis/Andrew Baker/John Gibson	AUS 1312 - Squeaky Clean (VIC)	70(OCS)	35( 35)	52( 52)	36( 36)	193
52	Gordon Hinds/Peter Bellingham/Steve Ingate	AUS 1191 - Rangoon Tiger (NSW)	37( 37)	52(RDG)	45( 45)	59( 59)	193
53	Paul Henshall/Bruce Henshall/Lyall Milford	AUS 1311 - Mystery Taxi (SA)	39( 39)	46( 46)	53( 53)	60( 60)	198