Rest of the podium filled

Lööf/Ekström take silver behind Percy and Mitchell at the conclusion of the Ringhals Star Europeans Championship

Skandia's Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell yesterday won gold at the Star European Championship in Varberg, Sweden and sat out today's race. They are the first British team to win the Star European Championship in all its 73 year history.

Mitchell commented: “For us the break we have had after the Olympics and since the Star Worlds in February has allowed us to come back hungrier and fresher… we put in a very solid performance on the first day, with better trimming and more patience and now the European crown is ours.”

The 2004 European champions Freddie Lööf and Anders Ekström secured second overall when their main opponents France's Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau crossed the finishing line three positions further back.

Lööf/Ekström were among the leading boats already at the first mark and easily managed to keep their position ahead of the French duo who had to finish two places ahead of the Swedes to get silver. The 2005 World Champions now had to settle for the bronze spots, five points behind the Swedes.

Convincing winners of the final race were German duo of Alexander Hagen and Kay Falkenthal who led from the first weather mark rounding and were able to consolidate their position through to the finish.

Britain's Andy Beadsworth and David Carr finished the regatta in a disappointing 17th position one place ahead of Ante Razmilovic and Mike Wolfs.

Results

Pos	Skipper/Crew	Nat.	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Tot
1	Iain Percy/Steve Mitchell	GBR	5	5	1	1	6	[68/DNS]	18.00
2	Fredrik Lööf/Anders Ekström	SWE	3	[22]	7	3	5	3	21.00
3	Xavier Rohart/Pascal Rambeau	FRA	2	[43]	14	2	2	6	26.00
4	Mark Mendelblatt/Mark Strube	USA	1	[68/OCS]	2	9	17	2	31.00
5	Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Dominik Zycki	POL	[14]	12	5	6	3	10	36.00
6	Benny Andersen/Mogens Just	DEN	4	[27]	9	4	12	11	40.00
7	Alexander Hagen/Kay Falkenthal	GER	17	3	13	13	[19]	1	47.00
8	Hans Spitzauer/Adi Luzlbauer	AUT	9	9	3	7	[20]	20	48.00
9	Afonso Domingos/Bernardo Santos	POR	6	1	12	17	16	[68/DNS]	52.00
10	Mats Johansson/Leif Möller	SWE	7	[20]	18	8	15	5	53.00
11	Daniel Stegmeier/Beat Stegmeier	SUI	21	[53]	17	16	1	7	62.00
12	Maurice O' Connell/Ed Peel	IRL	[33]	25	10	15	7	8	65.00
13	Robert Stanjek/Markus Koy	GER	44	6	4	5	[68/BFD]	14	73.00
14	George Szabo/Christian Finnsgård	USA	24	8	8	11	[34]	27	78.00
15	Luca Simeone/Ferdinando Colaninno	ITA	8	[45]	21	25	8	16	78.00
16	Mattias Miller/Frithjof Kleen	GER	16	23	6	12	23	[32]	80.00
17	Andy Beadsworth/David Carr	GBR	13	28	[68/DNF]	10	33	12	96.00
18	Ante Razmilovic/Mike Wolfs	GBR	25	[38]	19	20	21	19	104.00
19	Giulio Gatti/Corrado Cristaldini	ITA	11	48	20	[68/DNF]	4	22	105.00
20	Rustan Carlström/Lars Edwall	SWE	20	14	42	32	12/RDG	[68/BFD]	120.00
21	Hubert Merkelbach/Oliver Vitzthum	GER	22	44	15	14	25	[68/BFD]	120.00
22	Pierpaolo Cristofori/Menuele La Porta	ITA	37	[68/DSQ]	16	27	31	13	124.00
23	Bo Staffan Andersson/Michael Broad	SWE	12	[61]	35	26	30	23	126.00
24	Christian Monberg/Martin Leifelt	DEN	31	17	22	19	41	[68/DNS]	130.00
25	Lars Kiewning/Markus Mehlen	GER	23	50	11	[68/BFD]	14	33	131.00
26	Johnny Jensen/Marten Petersen	DEN	[41]	39	23	22	11	39	134.00
27	Christian Nehammer/Wenk Benedikt	AUT	10	29	33	39	[40]	31	142.00
28	Peter Podunavac/Davor Pregl	SLO	50	19	29	[68/DNF]	29	15	142.00
29	Thomas Schiffer/Niels Heutschel	GER	18	2	31	42	50	[68/DNS]	143.00
30	Ingvar J-son Krook/Erik Gamner	SWE	30	34	27	[40]	28	25	144.00
31	Eugen Ajksentiev/Mykola Shapovalov	UKR	36	4	30	38	[49]	37	145.00
32	Martin Wigforss/Anders Ohlsson	SWE	19	46	47	24	[68/DSQ]	9	145.00
33	Daniel Wyss/Eric Monroe	SUI	[52]	33	37	23	10	44	147.00
34	Chris Frijdal/Rob Eders	NED	40	36	26	[46]	18	29	149.00
35	Jan Willem Kok/Gerard van der Krogt	NED	[64]	37	25	30	32	26	150.00
36	Henrik Dannesboe/Ramis Fayzullin	SUI	32	15	28	[68/DNF]	43	35	153.00
37	Peter van Veen/Paul Goelst	NED	29	18	[51]	51	35	21	154.00
38	Alexey Lavrov/Alexandr Kuleshov	RUS	39	10	55	49	[68/DSQ]	4	157.00
39	Alexander Jorissen/Maarten Schut	NED	56	13	[68/DNF]	37	27	24	157.00
40	Tibor Tenke/Jozsef Bendicaek	HUN	47	30	38	29	13	[68/BFD]	157.00
41	Vasyl Gureyev/Volodymyr Korotkov	UKR	15	32	24	21	[68/DSQ]	68/BFD	160.00
42	Eric Dahlén/Olle Bergqvist	SWE	38	21	[56]	43	45	17	164.00
43	Vladimir Ikonnikov/Anatoliy Mikhailin	RUS	35	26	32	31	42	[68/BFD]	166.00
44	Carl Schröder/Stefan Hemlin	SWE	59	7	48	18	39	[68/DNS]	171.00
45	Marc Blees/Gert van der Heiden	NED	27	41	46	36	22	[68/DNF]	172.00
46	Andreas Hanakamp/Clemens Holtzapfel	AUT	49	31	43	34	24	[68/BFD]	181.00
47	Joni Leeve/Asko Salminen	FIN	42	40	45	41	[51]	18	186.00
48	Marton Gereben/Peter Gereben	HUN	46	11	41	47	46	[68/BFD]	191.00
49	Fredrik Ljungkvist/Daniel Alm	SWE	48	[68/DNF]	39	28	9	68/BFD	192.00
50	Maxim Karelskiy/Aleksander Shalagin	RUS	[57]	57	36	33	52	34	212.00
51	Dirk-André Sommer/Andi Noete	GER	65	24	34	45	54	[68/DNF]	222.00
52	Hans Oskarsson/Mattias Heiding	SWE	34	35	61	48,4/RDG	44	[68/DNS]	222.40
53	Christian Paucksch/Peter Andru	GER	[53]	51	40	50	48	36	225.00
54	Sune Carlsson/Gunnar Färneth	SWE	54	16	59	52	[68/DNS]	45	226.00
55	Anders Högland/Lars Ahlstedt	SWE	51	52	[64]	48	47	28	226.00
56	Tobias Chronéer/Charlotta Chronéer	SWE	60	62	[63]	55	26	30	233.00
57	Tomas Fransén/Pontus Gäbel	SWE	43	47	57	44	[68/DNF]	43	234.00
58	Eizens Cepurnieks/Eizens Kanskis	LAT	55	[68/DNF]	44	35	68/BFD	38	240.00
59	Christian Öller/Johan Öller	FIN	26	59	62	[68/DNF]	56	40	243.00
60	Jose F Garcia de Soto/Alvaro Elorza	ESP	45	42	53	[68/DNF]	38	68/DNS	246.00
61	Krister Carlsson/Peter Ek	SWE	28	56	50	[68/DNF]	68/BFD	47	249.00
62	Hubert Rauch/Ingo Schappeler	GER	61	60	60	[68/BFD]	37	42	260.00
63	Reginald Schlubach/John Schlubach	COL	58	55	52	[68/DSQ]	36	68/BFD	269.00
64	Jürgen Paust/Stefan Paust	GER	62	49	[68/DNF]	68/DNS	53	46	278.00
65	Börje Larsson/Carl-Fredrik Larsson	SWE	67	63	54	54	[68/DNS]	41	279.00
66	Reiner Petersen/Oliver Berger	GER	63	58	58	53	55	[68/BFD]	287.00
67	Erik Thorsell/Per Pousard	SWE	66	54	49	[68/DNF]	68/DNS	68/DNS	305.00