New points system and 2011 schedule
The World Match Racing Tour has unveiled a new scoring system for the 2011 season to give a more even spread for teams in the top ten. The plans will see points awarded down to 10th place rather than 8th at each stage, while the spread in points between each position will be reduced.
With Tour Card Holders being guaranteed invites to six stages, the new scoring system will still see the team’s best five events count towards their overall position plus the points from the season finale, the Monsoon Cup which carries points worth 1.5 times more.
Under the new scheme the winner of each stage will still win 25 points but the runner up and third place will now receive 22 and 19 respectively compared to the existing model of 20 and 15. The table below shows the proposed breakdown, which will reward teams that perform consistently throughout the season.
WMRT will have nine places available for Tour Card holders in 2011, who will be competing for a bonus prize fund which has been doubled to US$500,000. The top three teams in this year’s WMRT will be guaranteed access to a card - the winner will receive their card for free while the second and third place will be able to secure their cards for US$10,000 and US$20,000 respectively.
Should any of the top three choose not to take up their card next year they will be able to transfer it to another top flight skipper, under the condition that the team taking it up consists of at least 60% of the same crew that won the Tour Card. Invitations for applications for Tour Cards are being distributed this week and must be returned by 17 January.
The 2011 Tour will consist of a minimum of nine stages kicking off at Match Race France from 10-15 May and once again finishing with the Monsoon Cup from 22-27 November
Stage | Date | Event | Location | Teams | Boats |
1 | May 10 – 15 | Match Race France | Marseille, France | 12 | J80 |
2 | May 24 – 29 | Match Race Germany | Langenargen, Germany | 12 | TBC |
3 | June 7 - 12 | Korea Match Cup | Gyeonggi, Korea | 12 | KM36 |
4 | June 22 - 26 | Portimao Portugal Match Cup | Portimao, Portugal | 12 | SM40 |
5 | July 4 – 10 | Match Cup Sweden | Marstrand, Sweden | 16 | DS37 |
6 | August 24 – 28 | Danish Open | Bornholm, Denmark | 12 | DS37 |
7 | Aug 30 – Sept 4 | St Moritz Match Race | St Moritz, Switzerland | 12 | Blu26 |
8 | October 3 - 9 | Argo Group Gold Cup | Hamilton, Bermuda | 24 | IOD |
9 | Nov 22 – 27 | Monsoon Cup | K.Terengganu, Malaysia | 12 | F36 |
With the Tour actively seeking to add a further six new venues by 2013, it is currently engaged in conversations with a number of interested parties. It is the aim of the Tour to provide new events with a specialist sailing advisor who can offer expert sailing experience and event management skills and is inviting people to apply for the shortlist of special advisers.
Tour Director Craig Mitchell commented, “The Tour is never standing still as we’re always looking to improve the experience for the teams, fans, media and public. We feel that the current scoring system is a little top heavy with some teams that perform well being left behind on the leaderboard. Even though match racing is a winner takes all sport we hope that the new system will keep the championship podium open for as long as possible, providing drama and excitement until the final cross.”
Pos | 2011 Points | 2010 points | 2011 Points | 2010 Points |
(standard race) | (standard race) | (Monsoon Cup) | (Monsoon Cup) | |
1 | 25 | 25 | 38 | 38 |
2 | 22 | 20 | 33 | 30 |
3 | 19 | 15 | 28 | 22 |
4 | 16 | 12 | 24 | 18 |
5 | 14 | 10 | 21 | 15 |
6 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 12 |
7 | 10 | 6 | 15 | 9 |
8 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 6 |
9 | 4 | N/A | 6 | N/A |
10 | 2 | N/A | 6 | N/A |
How the current standings would look with new scoring system:
Skipper | 2010 Points | Points under Proposed 2011 System |
Matthieu Richard | 105 | 113 |
Adam Minoprio | 90 | 102 |
Ben Ainslie | 88 | 98 |
Torvar Mirsky | 76 | 92 |
Ian Williams | 72 | 88 |
Jesper Radich | 60 | 66 |
Francesco Bruni | 53 | 73 |
Peter Gilmour | 51 | 65 |
Bjorn Hansen | 33 | 47 |
Magnus Holmberg | 29 | 41 |
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