12 of the best

ISAF Match Racing World Championship fires up in Calpe, Spain tomorrow

Everything is ready for the first round robin series starting tomorrow (Tuesday) for the ISAF Match Racing World Championship in Calpe, Spain, with the 12 skippers out on the water for the practice period today. Calpe is a small town an hour south from Valencia with a fast growing tradition of running match racing events. With only Russell Coutts missing from the top ten ISAF World Ranking match racers, the event is lining up to be a tough event.

Reigning ISAF Match Racing World Champion Ed Baird (USA) may be going for a record of four titles and a record three in a row, but the Championship in Calpe is far from being a one man show. Among the 12 competitors are six with former Match Racing World Champion titles, nine ISAF Grade 1 event victories in 2005 and two debutants.

The races are scheduled to start at 11:00 CET every day, with round robin series from Tuesday to Thursday, semi-finals on Friday and the final on Saturday. Today is the welcome ceremony at Calpe City Hall.

It is the battle between Gilmour and defending champion Baird that looks the most enticing. Both have three World titles to their name, and with a string of second and third places between them can be considered the Championship’s most successful competitors. While they have met in the latter stages of three events this year, so far a final clash has been avoided.

Baird, currently a helmsman for Alinghi, will be going for three in a row in Spain after victories on Lake Garda, Italy in 2003 and in Ekaterinburg, Russia last year. However, the American faces a formidable task to defend his title, not least from Gilmour, the present leader of the ISSAF Match Racing Ranking. The Australian also knows how to win the Worlds, having taken honours like Baird in successive years in 1997 and 1998 and also back in 1990. He followed his most recent victory in 1998 with top three places in 1999 and 2000, before a four year absence from the Worlds prior to Calpe.

Number three in the present Rankings - Frenchman Mathieu Richard - is also in Calpe ready to climb to the top of the podium. He won the ISAF Grade 2 EuroSAF Open Match Racing Championship here last year, so the waters of Calpe are not unfamiliar to him. Britain’s Ian Williams (GBR) and Italy’s Paolo Cian (ITA) are also among the favourites. Just a week ago Williams proved he could beat the best with his first ever ISAF Grade 1 event victory at the Internationaux de France de Match Racing, while Cian, helmsman for Mascalzone Latino during the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup series is one of Italy's best match racers.

Further challenges from France come in the form of Philippe Presti, afterguard of Luna Rossa, third last year, and Sébastian Col, who is parto of K-Challenge and who already has three match racce wins under his belt this year. James Spithill, helmsman of Luna Rossa, adds a second Australian name to the line up and will be looking to go one better than the runners up spot he scored two years ago. Then there are the talented Scandinavians in the form of Bjorn Hansen (SWE), third in 2002 and Staffan Lindberg (FIN), who has a good record at record ISAF Worlds with a fourth place in 2002 and a fifth last year.

Eugeniy Neugodnikov (RUS) is in the line-up after Coutts was unable to accept his invitation due to prior commitments. Although the Russian may not have the experience of the three times winner, he made the semi finals on his home waters last year and will be looking for a repeat performance in Calpe.

Santiago López-Vázquez (ESP) completes the 12 as the sailor selected by the host MNA, the Real Federación Española de Vela, the host club Real Club Náutico de Calpe and ISAF. At 568 in the Rankings the Spaniard will not start the Championship as one of the favourites, but with the advantage of the home support he could well prove to be a surprise package.

Current ISAF World Match Race rankings:
- Peter GILMOUR (AUS) – 1
- Ed BAIRD (USA) – 2
- Mathieu RICHARD (FRA) – 3
- Philippe PRESTI (FRA) - 5
- Paolo CIAN (ITA) - 6
- Sébastian COL (FRA) - 7
- James SPITHILL (AUS) – 8
- Ian WILLIAMS (GBR) – 9
- Bjorn HANSEN (SWE) - 10
- Staffan LINDBERG (FIN) - 11
- Eugeniy NEUGODNIKOV (RUS) - 12
- Santiago LOPEZ-VAZQUEZ (ESP) - 568