WMRT: YANMAR Racing Win Portimao Portugal Match Cup

by Rob Kothe

A great result on finals day for Australia's Peter Gilmour and his YANMAR Racing crew - mainsheet-tactician Cameron Dunn, trimmer Thierry Douillard, pitman Yasuhiro Yaji and bowman Kazuhiko Sofuku.

The first match of the semi finals for YANMAR Racing Team's Peter Gilmour was against the reigning world champion Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing.

YANMAR Racing won the start comfortably, controlled the race and was never headed. In the second race another starting win on the pin end. Minoprio was penalised at the windward mark. He worked that off but then picked up another penalty. It was close at the finish but Gilmour won. Race 3 was another pin end start for Gilmour. YANMAR Racing gained strongly on the left and won by almost half a leg.

With Torvar Mirsky (Mirsky Racing Team) beating Ian Williams (Team GAC Pindar) 3 - 0 in the semi finals the stage was set for an all Australian, all West Australian, all Perth final.

In the first race of the final, Gilmour once more started on the pin and headed left, but this time it did not work. Mirsky was bounced away to the right, found a big shift, rounded the top mark and controlled the race to win.

In the second race Gilmour came in from the favoured starboard entry. A great start from Gilmour, perfect timing at the pin. Gilmour made a good six lengths gain on the left hand side and ran away with the race. It was Mirsky 1 - Gilmour 1 and as it was a first to two final, the third race would decide the title.

The breeze was still about six to eight knots and south-easterly as the two boats went into the starting box. Mirsky had the starboard entry, he led out of the dial-up. Gilmour chased and pinned his apprentice to windward.

It was a great reversal from Gilmour out of the port entry and YANMAR Racing again started on the pin and headed left. YANMAR Racing found a shift and went on from there to win by eight lengths.

YANMAR Racing are the new Portugal Match Race Champions. Mirsky Racing Team, the 2009 defending champions finished second, with Adam Minoprio's ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing third and Ian Williams' Team GAC Pindar fourth.

Dockside there were lots of smiles from the Men in White.

Thierry Douillard. 'A very satisfying day. More fun that the football for this Frenchman.

'We enjoy racing together; Fuku, Yaji, Cameron, myself and Peter. We had some challenges today, just a few minutes before the start of the second race the port mainsheet winch jammed, we had to use the port pit winch but we had a good race regardless and we went on to win.

'Peter was very accurate on the starts, with Cameron and Fuku.

'We were more than the Perth Championship winners today. Our results overall came from a lot of small things - technique, timing - we were in the zone.'

Yasuhiro Yaji. 'Today was a very nice day. First 3-0 against Adam Minoprio and that came from good teamwork, everyone was concentrating very hard.

'Then in the final good crew work again, we were working on taking the pin end. YANMAR Racing sailed hard today and we achieved the results.

Cameron Dunn. 'We've had a very strong last two days. Yesterday we struggled on the start line but sailed very well around the course to win our quarter final. Today we nailed the starts. It was pretty much 'a must win left' all day and Gilly did a great job winning the left five times out of six.

Smiling Peter Gilmour summed up. 'This season YANMAR Racing has been steadily building up; we did not have a good start in the first two events but we have not lost focus and we have been tenacious.'

'The racing was very technical today, in terms of position and strategic discussion and we did that really well.

'The left hand side of the course was favoured. Because we had the second semi final Torvar (Mirsky) never saw us start.

'At lunchtime when we knew we would be racing Torvar in the final, I was thinking it was a 'win win' no matter the finals result, with Torvar going so well on the Tour in the last few seasons.

'We have encouraged him from the beginning of his career, before the Warren Jones wins set him on his way.

'We are looking forward to Sweden; we will have this same crew and have a good record there!'

Day 5 - Overall Standings

1 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 25 Points
2 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 20 Points
3 Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 15 Points
4 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 12 Points
5 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra 10 Points
6 Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge 8 Points
7 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 6 Points
8 Manuel Weiller (ESP) Team Iberdrola 4 Points
9 Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team
10 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Gill Global Team
11 Alvaro Marinho (POR) Seth Sailing Team
12 Eugeny Neugodnikov (RUS) Team Synergy

2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour Standings
(After Event 4 of 10)

1 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 71 Points
2 Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch Racing 54 Points
3 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 48 Points
4 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 43 Points
5 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 42 Points
6 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra 33 Points
7 Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 20 Points
8 Jesper Radich (SWE) Radich Racing Team 20 Points
9 Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia 16 Points
10 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Gill Global Team 15 Points

YANMAR Racing
World Match Racing Tour