Tornados hit Cascais

A look at the runners and riders in the Tornado fleet for the ISAF World Sailing Championship

51 Tornados from 22 countries are in Cascais, preparing to start preceedings at the 2007 ISAF World Sailing Championships. The class began measurement today and will begin their racing on Tuesday.

Currently conditions at the venue are fantastic with sunny, warm weather and a nice breeze blowing constantly and a beautiful landscape.

Most of the Tornado sailors have arrived early in Portugal and have been training hard in the Cascais Bay. It is not only the World Championship title that is at stake but also the qualification for 75% of the national places for the Qingdao 2008 Olympics.

The teams from Australia, France, Argentina, Greece, Austria, and Spain are seriously capable of winning the Championship. If it is a big breeze event from beginning to end, the Netherlands will join that top group. If it is light air throughout, Germany and Canada will join the Top Group.

The following is a brief profile of the Top Teams in current ISAF World Ranking order:

1-Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby (AUS)

The pair won the 2006 Tornado World Championship, Bundock’s fifth World Championship victory. It was Ashby’s first in the Tornado, but he has also won four A-Class World Championship titles.

After winning the Open European Championship and placing in the top five for all the Grade 1 events they have sailed this year this team is the team to beat. They have great resilience, great tactics, and their teamwork has fully gelled (and, they have the great Mike “Fletch” Fletcher as their coach).

2-Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz (ESP)

2005 World Champions and 2005 Rolex Sailors of the Year Echavarri and Paz are a very solid all-around team. They have been struggling a bit for consistency this year, scoring dissapointing finishes of 12th and 16th at the Europeans and Semaine Olympique Francaise respectively. However, if they are on form they could get on the podium.

3-Johannes Polgar and Florian Spalteholz (GER)

Polgar and Spalteholz stand in fourth place in the ISAF World Rankings on the strength of their consistent top ten finishes over the past two years. It is rare for this team to finish outside the top ten, but also rare for them to finish on the podium. They will have to sail their best event ever to get onto the podium in Cascais.

4-Xavier Revil and Christophe Espagnon (FRA)

Revil and Espagnon dominated the 2006 season. They are a very smart team in all conditions. Revil bristles at race committees that cancel races in a big breeze. Both French sailors are on the crew of Orma 60 Géant, witt skipper Michel Desjoyeaux. They are fast across the entire wind range, as physical as Guichard and Guyader, and a podium contender.

5-Yann Guichard and Alexandre Guyader (FRA)

Guichard is one the best open water sailors in the Tornado Fleet. He has logged thousands of miles on the ORMA 60s. Guyader is a former Mistral European Champion. This team is often in the top five, and they finished third at the 2007 SOF in Hyeres. Their physical fitness is unsurpassed, and if Cascais is a physically demanding event, they should be in the podium hunt at the end.

6) Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher (AUT)

The 2000 and 2004 Gold Medalists are superb in light to moderate and shifty conditions, but are not the favorites in a breeze. Hagara and Steinacher are great ‘big event’ sailors. However, Cascais will need to offer up more mixed conditions than are expected for these champions to be favorite to win this event.

7-Leigh McMillan and Will Howden (GBR)

McMillan was the Silver Medalist at the 2003 ISAF World Sailing Championship in Cadiz. Teamed with Howden, they were Silver Medallists at the 2005 World Championship. This British team are more talented than consistent. They will have to raise the level of their game in Cascais.

8-Iordanis Paschilides and Kostas Trigoni (GRE)

Paschilides and Trigoni are hot at the momeny. They are the 2007 European Champions. Trigoni is a former 470 World Champion giving him a good degree of tactical understanding. Dani and Kostas are always smart and fast, and mentally tough, and, always in the hunt for the podium.

9-Olivier Backes and Paul-Ambroise Sevestre (FRA)

Backes has been a top sailor since he was a junior in the Europe class. Sevestre came over from the Star class in 2006. This team is coached by cat legend Yves Loday and are among the smartest teams in the fleet. They are the equals of Revil and Espagnon and Guichard and Guyader. The French team has the best depth of any country in this fleet.

10-Roland Gaebler and Gunnar Struckmann (GER)

Gaebler has won three Tornado World Championships, five European Championships, and a Bronze Medal at the 2000 Olympic Games. Struckmann is 20 year his junior and provides a lot of the hunger to get to the top. The German team have great chemistry but they have a big gap to close. They are capable of a Bronze, but they are unlikely to do any better.

The Wild Cards

1-Santiago Lange and Carlos Espinola (ARG)

Lange is returning to the Tornado fleet from the Victory Challenge America’s Cup campaign. He and Espinola are the 2006 World Silver Medalists, the 2004 World Champions, and the 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalists. Espinola is the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist in the Mistral class. This team has not specific weak area, they are aggressive, smart, flexible, fast in all conditions, confident, and consistent. If Lange recovers from the painfully slow keelboat experience quickly, they will be in hunt to be on the podium.

2-Billy Besson and Arnaud Jarlegan (FRA)

Billy Besson is one of the most talented sailors in the class. He and Arnaud are ranked 14th, but they have been turning in top ten finishes regularly for the past year, and they are getting sharper. If they bring it all together at Cascais, they could make it to the Medal Race – at least.

3-Oskar Johannson and Kevin Stittle (CAN)

Johannson and Stittle are coming off a dominant win at the 2007 SOF Hyeres. They have been steadily improving but have yet to get a great result in a big breeze event. If they can rise to the level they showed at Hyeres, they could be in the Medal Race at the end.

4-Tino Mittelmeier and Niko Mittelmeier (GER)

Mittelmeier and Mittelmeier are the youngest of the top teams; and their potential is to become World Champions. They are very tough and very fast in conditions up to 12 knots. They also tend to raise the level of their sailing when the pressure is on during the second half of a regatta. They could be top five if Cascais sees highly variable conditions. If the breeze is up throughout the regatta, they will have to fight to get to the Medal Race.

5-Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhis (NED)

Booth has two World Championships and two Olympic Medals in the Tornado. Nieuwenhis started sailing with Booth at the beginning of 2007, coming out of the 49er class. As a new crew combination, Booth and Nieuwenhis have a big gap to close on the top of the fleet. Booth’s last win at a Tornado World Championship was in 1992. But, Booth remains one of the very best big breeze sailors in the fleet. If Cascais is windy every day, this team could be in the hunt for the Gold Medal at the end.