73 teams entered

Laser SB3 Europeans to be hotly contested in Garda next week

The highlight of the Laser SB3 calendar takes place in just over a week’s time, with the inaugural SB3 European Championships in Riva del Garda in Italy form Thursday 22nd June to Saturday 25th June. The weather seems, at last, to be hotting up in the Italian Lakes, after some unusually cold weather, and this bodes well for some Classic Ora blasting conditions for the travelling band of sailors.

73 teams have signalled their intent to enter, with the vast majority from the UK, but also boats from Australia, Ireland, Portugal, France, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands taking part. It signals a true coming of age for the three year old fleet, which has seen unprecedented growth for a boat of this size, and promises to be the start of a Europe wide development.

Hot favourite has to be three times World Laser Champion, Glenn Bourke, who has yet to be beaten, apart from in the Mid-winters. Several boats are starting to put some pressure on him, and eyes will be on the Irish team Harken, Spring Championship winners and runners up in Lymington last weekend, with two time Olympian Peter Kennedy driving, Aussie Dan Geoghegan who has found a rich vein of form this season, the fiercely competitive and experienced all-girl team on Maclaren, with Mini Summerhayes driving, and Jerry Hill, 2003 UK National Champion, who is bound to get back to his winning ways in Team Touareg, after some indifferent performances this season so far. If the breeze is up, it will especially suit all these teams, where team work will be the over-riding concern.

European interest will be led by Nico Honor form France, and it will be a measure of how the British fleet has progressed, as to how the talented Frenchman performs, as his last full outing was over a year ago at the Brest Eurocup. The Portuguese fleet will be represented by Fernando Bello, from Cascais, and he will be keen to see how he performs against the more experienced fleet racers from the UK.

Other big names hoping to strike Gold will be Simon Relph in Mailspeedmarine, a former GP 14 World Champion, who confesses the SB3 fleet has given him a new lease of life. Martin Jones, multiple Olympic Campaigner, will be having his first run out, as will Mark Rushall, who has Mark Covell on board (as well as Liz), and he will be keen to show that all the training he has been providing for the SB3 fleet, has some sound basis!!

Back into battle will be a re-united Turbo International team, with skipper John Hanson flying in from South Africa, to team up with one of the hottest teams in 2003-4, in a chartered boat. Also watch for Colin Simonds, ex-Olympian Soling helm, Tony Kilby with Ian Southworth on board, Joe Woods driving Ben Duke’s WKD, and from the North of England, Jono Shelley in PWC, and David Clarke, who having finally stopped smashing his boat up, will be keen to make his mark after a good finish at Lymington.

So it’s all to play for, and it should be a massively interesting series, not least to see how this number of ¾ tonne rocket ships fare on the same course! It really is anyone’s call, unless you are Glenn Bourke...