Circuit expands

In addition to the iShares Cup, the Extreme 40 catamarans will head to the Round the Island, Bol d'Or and Centomiglia

The iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series for 2007 was officially confirmed today when Ellen MacArthur sailed up the River Thames onboard an Extreme 40 catamaran.

The iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series will comprise of four premier regattas and will showcase some of the world’s most exciting racing, at Europe’s leading sailing venues. Up to seven high-performance Extreme 40s will do battle on race courses set close to the shore, providing awesome views and thrilling racing for spectators.

The Extreme 40 crews are studded with past, present and future Olympians - including six sailors who are aiming to compete at Beijing 2008. They will be joined by sailors from the ocean racing world and the America’s Cup.

iShares, the worlds leader in Exchange Traded Funds, announced back in January that they had agreed to become title partner to the series: "This is a fantastic opportunity for iShares; a new innovative platform that complements our brand values and offers exciting client entertainment experiences across Europe," commented Rick Andrews, Head of iShares Marketing, Europe.

Racing in the iShares Cup officially starts from 25-27 May just a stone’s throw away from Munich at the popular sailing destination of Lake Starnberg. It will be at this event that the public and media get a first glimpse of the teams competing over the following four months.

Known for it’s maritime history, Marseille, France will host the second stage of the iShares Cup, 7-9 July. The fleet then heads to Cowes, UK at the start of Skandia Cowes Week for the penultimate stage of the iShares Cup 3-5 August with the added bonus for spectators of some exhibition racing later in the week right in front of the public.

The 2007 iShares Cup will finally draw to a close in Amsterdam, the Netherlands where the Extreme 40s will compete on one of the city's biggest canals and where the overall winner of the iShares Cup will finally be determined.

As part of the iShares Cup season there are also three iShares Endurances Races, where the Extreme 40s will race at a number of Europe’s most prestigious classic endurance races - designed to increase the visibility of the class across Europe. On 16 June, the world’s largest inland lake event with over 500 yachts competing, the Bol d’Or Mirabaud on Lake Geneva. This will be followed by one of the world’s largest sailing events, the 55-mile JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race on 23 June. The Extreme 40 boats will join over 1600 boats and 13000 sailors expected to race around the Isle of Wight, UK, in this popular event. And then on 8 September on Lake Garda, Italy, the Extreme 40s will race in the prestigious Centomiglia race.

"The iShares Cup is providing an excellent platform for a new phase of growth for this exciting Class, and we have very strong interest from all over the world, which bodes well for the future," commented Alan Hillman, OC Events Race Director.

TornadoSport, originators of the concept, who supply the Extreme 40s, have produced a further four new catamarans this winter, making a total of nine now on the water.