Match Race Germany 2003

HONOUR ROLL

2002. JESPER RADICH
2002.(DEN)
2001. MARKUS WIESER
2002.(GER)
2000. BERTRAND PACE
2002.(FRA)

The quaterfinalists set at Match Race Germany (06/06/03)
(source : Swedish Match Tour)

Ed Baird won all but one of his matches in Round Robin One today to lead his half of the group into the next round of the Swedish Match Tour’s Match Race Germany on Lake Constance.

The only match Baird lost today was against America’s Cup winner and German hero Jochen Schuemann of the Alinghi Team. Their match was a close fought affair, with the outcome still very much in the balance at the leeward mark. Baird was forced to take a penalty for not giving enough room at the mark.

Conditions on Lake Constance were much kinder today, with the sailors and race organizers welcoming the arrival of a steady 6-10 knots from the west. Clearly, the more stable breezes suited Baird who looked at home in the three-man Diamond 2000 yachts.

For Schuemann, this was the first time he had helmed a small boat in two years, the last time being at Match Race Germany in 2001, when he lost in the finals to fellow German Markus Wieser. His focus on big boats appears to have done him little harm as he finished third in his group with a 3-2 score, with Wieser just ahead on 4-1.

The other half of the group had a distinctly Scandinavian flavour. Denmark’s Jes Gram Hansen of Team Victory Lane sailed a flawless two races to add to his two victories the previous evening, and holds the top spot on his side of the draw with a score of 4-1. Another Dane, Henrik Jensen, took second spot ahead of Sweden’s Mikael Lindquist.

Today’s racing also dispatched the bottom four teams out of the event. They are Andreas Willim of Germany, Chris Law and "The Outlaws" of Great Britain, Staffan Lindberg of Finland, and Matthias Rahm of Sweden.

While the other eight teams took the afternoon off, the race committee used the dying breezes of the late afternoon to decide the minor overall placings from 9th to 12th. Rahm made up for some lost pride by winning the sail-off and finishing 9th in the competition.

GROUP A LEADERBOARD (Skipper/Wins/Losses)

1. Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN), 4/1*
2. Henrik Jensen (DEN), 3/2*
3. Mikael Lindquist (SWE), 3/2*
4. Luc Pillot (FRA), 3/2*
------------------------
5. Andreas Willim (GER), 1/4
6. Staffan Lindberg (FIN), 1/4

* Qualify for quarterfinals

GROUP B LEADERBOARD (Skipper/Wins/Losses)

1. Ed Baird (USA), 4/1*
2. Markus Wieser (GER), 3/2*
3. Jochen Schuemann (GER), 3/2*
4. Jesper Radich (DEN), 2/3*
------------------------
5. Chris Law (GBR), 1/4
6. Mattias Rahm (SWE), 0§5 *

* Qualify for quarterfinals

SAIL-OFFS FOR 9 –12 (Skipper/Wins/Losses)

9. Mattias Rahm (SWE), 2/1
10. Staffan Lindberg (FIN), 2/1
11. Andreas Willim (GER), 1/2
12.Chris Law (GBR/), 1/2

Young dane takes early lead in Germany (06/06/03)
(source : Swedish Match Tour)

Young Danish helmsman Henrik Jensen was the only skipper to win three out of three races on Lake Constance today, giving him the early lead at the Swedish Match Tour’s Match Race Germany.

It was a miracle that any racing was held at all, with the wind barely picking up over two knots, but even so there were few complaints about the race management today.

Denmark’s Jes Gram Hansen of Team Victory Lane could have been sharing the leaderboard, had he not failed to spot a shortened course flag for his heat against 470 Olympic gold medallist, Frenchman Luc Pillot.

"We heard a sound signal, but we weren’t sure if it came from the committee boat or a spectator boat," he said. "We were leading Luc by about two boat lengths, but we rounded the leeward mark while he carried straight on for the finish. It was a bad mistake, and sometimes these things can prove to be significant later on, but we certainly hope not."

Pillot made his own fundamental error in the final heat of the day against Jensen. The Dane held the controlling position in the build-up to the start, and forced the Frenchman over towards the committee boat. In desperation Pillot tacked in Jensen’s water at the gun, and was given a penalty by the jury. He also lost speed and by the time Pillot had got the boat moving, the race was firmly in Jensen’s grasp.

So Jensen tops the leaderboard, followed by Gram Hansen and Sweden’s Mikael Lindquist, both on 2 wins, 1 loss. The Swede lost his match to Jensen but prevailed over Pillot and Staffan Lindberg of Finland, who struggled to master the subtleties of the wind and the 20-foot Diamond 2000 yachts, finishing the day on three losses.

Some of the big names sat ashore today, awaiting their turn to do light-air battle on the Lake tomorrow. The one that everyone is waiting to watch is another German entry skippered by Jochen Schümann, three-time Olympic champion and more recently the Director of Sports for Team Alinghi, the Swiss challenge that dominated the America’s Cup earlier this year.

GROUP A LEADERBOARD (Skipper/Wins/Losses)

1 - Henrik Jensen (DEN), 3/0
2 - Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN), 2/1
2 - Mikael Lindquist (SWE), 2/1
4 - Luc Pillot (FRA), 1/2
4 - Andreas Willim (GER), 1/2
6 - Staffan Lindberg (FIN), 0/0

No sailing at Match Race Germany (06/05/03)
(source : Swedish Match Tour)

Following a brief skippers’ meeting under the main event tent, sailing has been delayed at the first day of the Swedish Match Tour’s Match Race Germany due to nary a breath of air on Lake Constance.

This is the second consecutive day with little breeze on Lake Constance, but event organizers are heartened by news of a front coming through later this evening that will bring cooler temperatures and fresh air.

Action on Lake Constance will be hot (06/04/03)
(source :Swedish Match Tour)

With three of the top four skippers on the Swedish Match Tour, including the defending event champion, and a prodigal son returning with yachting’s greatest prize under his arm, the action on Lake Constance will be hot...

As the second to last event of Swedish Match Tour 2002/2003 and with new Rankings leader James Spithill of Australia not in attendance due to a scheduling conflict, the three skippers just behind him in the Rankings will be looking to unseat the young Aussie helmsman.

Additionally, Denmark’s Jesper Radich is hoping for his second consecutive Swedish Match Tour win while also defending his 2002 Match Race Germany title, which was his first win on the Swedish Match Tour.

Perhaps of greatest interest to the crowds lining the promenade of Lake Constance, however, is the return of native son Jochen Schümann who has spent the last two years serving as America’s Cup holder Team Alinghi’s Director of Sports.

Competitors :

Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN) – Second on current SMT Rankings Leader
Jesper Radich (DEN) – Third on SMT Rankings
Chris Law (GBR) – Fourth on SMT Rankings
Ed Baird (USA) – Eighth on SMT Rankings
Mattias Rahm (SWE) – Tenth on SMT Rankings
Staffan Lindberg (FIN) – Twelfth ranked skipper on SMT
Markus Wieser (GER) – Former Match Race Germany winner (2001)
Luc Pillot (FRA) – Former helmsman for Le Defi Areva Challenge
Jochen Schuemann (GER) – Director of Sports for America’s Cup holders, Alinghi
Team Henrik Jensen (DEN)
Mikael Lindquist (SWE)
Andreas Willim (GER)