Fransesco Bruni leads Bjorn Hansen on day 1 of Portimao Portugal Match Cup 2010. World match Racing Tour. Portimao, Portugal. 23 June 2010. Image copyright Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images.
by Cailah Leask (with additional info from SailRaceWin)
Portimão Portugal Match Cup, Stage 4 of the 2010 Tour, has attracted some of the world’s most experienced and talented crews to the Algarve.
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team has been racing with some of his team for over 10 years which he cites as a key asset in teamwork. Richard’s core crew are Olivier Herledant, Greg Evrard and Yannick Simon who are dedicated to the WMRT events this year, with new for Portimão Devan Le Bihan.
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing has been on the Tour travelling the globe with his close knit Kiwi team including; Tom Powrie, Nick Blackman, Dave Swete and Dan Mclean for the last two years. This group of young ambitious guys, who for some have chosen to base themselves in the UK, are enjoying their last bitter sweet year on the Tour with the current ISAF Match Racing World Champion. Minoprio has been signed up for the 2011 Volvo Ocean Race with ETNZ and will be moving to offshore style training next year.
Dashing Englishman Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar has a new team line up for 2010 that has worked effectively since Stage 2. Williams is joined in his travels by 3 fellow Brits; Simon Shaw, Mark Williams and Richard Sydenham (now based in Sweden) as well as Tasmanian born Malcolm Parker. Ian has chosen to race with his brother Mark again, who was part of Williams’ 2007 winning World Championship Team, showing that siblings can make effective race teams.
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team is the youngest of the Tour card holders. He has picked a multinational team with Australians Kyle Langford and Graeme Spence, Welshman Tudor Owen and New Zealander Kinley Fowler. This team much like the manufactured music groups of our time have all been selected due to their unique talents and have been moulded into one powerful dynamic.
Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge has chosen a young and hungry team for his 2010 Tour events. Holmberg only met Brad Farrand, one of his crew, for the first time on site at Portimão this week. He is backed up by another 3 physically conditioned crew, from the Kiwi Waka Racing team - Sam Bell, James Williamson and Garth Ellingham.
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra has some top names from the Azzurra America’s Cup Team with him this week; Pierluigi De Felice, Matteo Auguadro, Tom Burnham and Ben Durham. Matteo, bowman for Bruni, in 2009 alone notched up 2nd at the Congressional Cup, 3rd at the Farr 40 Worlds, 1st on the Rolex Fastnet with another win at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Tom, originally from the US, has raced with America’s Cup Challenges Prada and Luna Rossa.
Portimao Portugal Match Cup
World Match Racing Tour
