J.P. Morgan Asset Management will add to their sailing sponsorship portfolio by becoming the title sponsor of the Finn Gold Cup 2012. The company, which sponsors the Round the Island Race and British Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie, will support the Falmouth Finn Festival, which includes both the British National Finn Championship and followed by the Finn Gold Cup.

The Finn Gold Cup is the annual World Championship of the Finn Class, and also has a bearing upon Olympic selection for some nations. The Gold Cup fleet can be as many as 100 boats. The British National Finn Championship, the annual championships of the British Finn Association, will precede the Gold Cup and hopes to attract 40 – 50 boats from across the UK.

Roger Thompson, Head of J.P. Morgan Asset Management UK, said:

“We’re delighted to announce our title sponsorship of the Falmouth Finn Festival 2012. We’ve been involved in sailing for the last seven years as title sponsor of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race and we are also in our 5th year as title sponsor of Ben Ainslie supporting his bid to win a fourth gold medal at London 2012, so today’s announcement further confirms our commitment to the sport. J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s involvement in sailing continues to be thoroughly rewarding, not just in terms of our brand but also in helping us connect with our existing and potential clients. To be involved in an event like the Falmouth Finn Gold Cup with the best sailors in the world competing is an honour and we hope our support can make the event a great success.”

The J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Festival in Falmouth Bay, where Ben Ainslie began sailing. Ainslie is also a member of the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club (RCYC) which will organise the event. He commented at the announcement of the sponsorship:

“It’s fantastic that the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club have won rights to host the Finn Gold Cup and have a title sponsor in J.P. Morgan Asset Management onboard. The Gold Cup is one of the most respected events in the dinghy calendar, which I’ve competed in on numerous occasions and have also been lucky enough to win. I first started sailing in these waters and some of my family still live in the area, it fills me with great pride that Cornwall will get to show off her excellent sailing facilities, I’m looking forward to competing in May 2012”

Peter Collett Commodore of RCYC, thanked J.P Morgan Asset Management for their support as well as other partners of the Finn Festival:

“The Royal Cornwall Yacht Club is extremely pleased to be hosting the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Festival in 2012. The Finn Gold Cup has not been contested in this country for many years and will arguably be the most prestigious and competitive regatta ever to be sailed in Falmouth Bay. We are excited to have the opportunity to welcome a host of sailors from all over the world to our wonderful sailing waters in Falmouth. We are delighted to have our title sponsor onboard; the event could not take place without J.P. Morgan Asset Management support. We would also like to thank other generous partners including Cornwall Council, Cornwall Development Company/VisitCornwall, Falmouth Town Council, GUL International, Cornwall Ferries Ltd, Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, Falmouth Watersports Centre, National Maritime Museum Cornwall and Falmouth Festivals Ltd”.

More UK Sailing News

Henri Lloyd Sign as Official Clothing Partner for J P Morgan Round The Island Race.

The Island Sailing Club, organisers of the J P Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, have announced that Henri Lloyd will be the race’s official clothing partner for the next two editions.

Henri Lloyd have a long time association with Ben Ainslie who is also sponsored by the race’s title sponsor.

The new deal will include merchandise for the Race and the provision of sailing kit for for race officials, the management team and volunteers. Competitors will also be able to obtain clothing with the special 80th anniversary logo.

Island Sailing Club Secretary, Lea Bennett, said at the London Boat Show:

“This is a really exciting piece of news for everyone involved in the Race, especially as we celebrate our 80th Anniversary year in 2011. Having a clothing partner join us as Race Partner is a first for us and we’re absolutely delighted to welcome Henri Lloyd to the fold.”

In response, Paul Strzelecki, joint Managing Director of Henri Lloyd, said:

“I am delighted to announce our support of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race by becoming their Official Clothing Partner. We are proud to have the Henri Lloyd brand associated with one of the largest and most popular yacht races in the world and look forward to working with the Island Sailing Club over the next two years to ensure the event goes from strength to strength.

Henri Lloyd partners with British Youth sailing squad.

The RYA will also benefit from the support of Henri Lloyd in the form of a new clothing deal for Junior and Youth sailing squads.

The partnership, launched at the London Boat Show on Friday, will see Henri Lloyd exclusively supply clothing to the RYA Junior and Youth squads as well as RYA supported International Teams attending major International regattas around the World.

RYA Youth Racing Manager Duncan Truswell said:

“We are delighted to start what we hope will be a long and strengthening relationship with Henri Lloyd. They were closely associated with the RYA Youth Squads in the mid-late 90’s and I have very fond memories of wearing my Henri-Lloyd Laser National Youth Squad jacket with pride. I hope that the Youth sailors of today will feel the same about wearing Henri Lloyd gear when they are representing RYA Team GBR either domestically or abroad, they [Henri Lloyd] have a great product range for an array of Technical functions which we hope will enable our sailors to be more comfortable afloat and ashore, and thereby enable them to perform better.”

Paul Strzelecki, Henri Lloyd’s joint Managing Director, joined Truswell and RYA Racing Manager John Derbyshire during a press reception on Henri Lloyd’s stand where he spoke of the organisation’s delight in forming the new relationship.   He said:

“We are pleased to once again support the RYA Youth and Junior Programme.  We hope that the emerging UK sailing talent can benefit from our innovative performance clothing. We are extremely proud to add this sponsorship to our existing support for the very successful RYA OnBoard programme which we have done since its inception. We look forward to a long and fruitful association.”

More Sailing Apparel News…

The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) has announced a nine race calendar for 2011 with successful events like Match Cup Sweden and Monsoon Cup anchoring the tour as it searches for new venues around the world. The season will run from May to November. The sailing world championship is also looking for advisers to help new venues and events become established.

The calendar as announced does not include Vietnam or China, but  with the Tour actively seeking to add a further six new venues by 2013, more regattas may be annouced.

2011 ISAF MATCH RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

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 12 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

The World Match Racing Tour is currently engaged in conversations with a number of interested parties via a bidding process being run by Terry Newby and Regatta International. Part of this process is to provide new events with a specialist sailing advisor who can offer expert sailing experience and event management skills. This model has been used by the Monsoon Cup who have benefited from the guidance of Peter Gilmour over recent years.

WMRT Tour Director, Craig Mitchell said:

“The Tour is never standing still as we’re always looking to improve the experience for the teams, fans, media and public.”

All this news was buried in a press release about a new scoring system, which seems a little strange. Only the most hard-core ‘anorak fans’ really care about the point system. While it is important for the sailors whether or not the third place winner gets 19 points of 15 points is  not going to attract new fans or help sponsors in any way.

Nevertheless, the organisers have changed the rules saying:

“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. ¹”

For the stats junkies, the new scoring system for the 2011 season is designed to give a more even spread for teams in the top ten and reward consistency.

• Points will be awarded down to 10th place rather than 8th at each stage, while the spread in points between each position will be reduced.
• 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.
• 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 World Match Racing Tour 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 USD500,000. 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 USD10,000 and USD20,000 respectively.

2010 has been a time of change in the world of yacht racing. In 2011, some Skippers who have competed in the World Match Racing Tour may be tempted elsewhere. At least two of the top stars of the Tour are committed to other projects. 2009 champion, Adam Minoprio has signed up to do the Volvo Ocean Race with the Camper project (backed by Team New Zealand). Ben Ainslie, who, like many sailors was using the WMRT for match race experience required for the America’s Cup, but with the withdrawal of TEAMORIGIN from that campaign will focus on the 2012 Olympics.

The tour then has come up with a rule to try and deal with the absence of Minoprio and Ainslie. Should any of the top three place finishers from 2010 choose not to take up a tour card. 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.

More World Match Racing Tour News…

During the last America’s Cup cycle, BMW ORACLE’s catch-phrase was ‘Mutual Consent’. This time round, CEO Russell Coutts has been promoting a ‘New Deal’ process that is supposed to be the most open and fair ever. With such a frank discussion between the Defender and prospective teams, the format should be one where challengers are lining up to be part of the new, exciting trophy platform, but early reaction has been the opposite.

Sir Keith Mills, the owner of TEAMORIGIN, has been one of the most vocal opponents of the ‘New Deal’ process. He’s made no secrets of the fact that he believes a multihull boat rules gives BMW ORACLE an unfair advantage and he has also been critical of the Challenger of Record for not representing the views of the challengers.

On Friday, TEAMORIGIN formally announced that they would not be taking part in the next edition of the America’s Cup. The Italian team Azzurra also announced that it would not be taking part in the ‘New Deal’ format.

TEAMORIGIN’s reasons for not contesting the next edition of the Cup broadly fall into three categories; commercial viability, competitiveness and timing.

Many people have latched onto a figure of $100 Million as a budget for a team to be competitive in the next edition of the America’s Cup. This is despite BMW ORACLE statements that they have designed a platform that is budget concious. Sir Keith Mills told Yachting World:

“When you look at the commercial aspects, the costs are around 20 percent more than those of AC32 in Valencia, but the cycle is over three years and not four. The result is that you have to raise 20 percent more money in 25 percent less time. In effect you only have two years of commercial rights to sell.”

The second objection that TEAMORIGIN have is the multihull boat rule. The British team, like most America’s Cup syndicates, is built on traditional monohull match racing principles. The team have competed in the Audi Med Cup and World Match Racing Tour – building strengths that would have positioned themselves well for an America’s Cup that most people would recognise. While the team has also competed in the Extreme 40 Series, Mills believes that the AC72 gives BMW ORACLE a huge advantage over challenging teams. He says:

“I didn’t like the class rule, I think that it has some serious issues with it. For instance, I don’t know how you race something like that in 33 knots of wind. When we asked Oracle about that they really didn’t have an answer. I don’t know how you moor it up, or stick it on the dock and they don’t have answers for that either.

“So I had real concerns about the boat as well as the fact that there are very few sailors around the world that have sailed such boats and very few designers that have designed 40m wings. From our starting point the class has real viability question marks over it.

Finally, TEAMORIGIN have a structural problem with their personnel and the timing of the America’s Cup in 2013. The backbone of the team is made up of successful Olympians who have been forced to choose between gold medals and the silver cup. Many potential challengers were caught off-guard by the announcement of the race in 2013. Despite this being the most open and fair process ever, most teams were expecting the next America’s Cup to take place in 2014.

Comment

The America’s Cup has always been to the Defender’s advantage. Those who challenge for it, do so with a kind of naivety that bets national pride and glory against rational business thinking. The America’s Cup has never been a one-design competition. Like F1, the team with the most money usually wins. So despite the ‘New Deal’, the America’s Cup will continue to be the domain of those who are willing to pay any price to win.

There’s nothing wrong with that, but it flys in the face of some of the stated goals for this Cup cycle. If TEAMORIGIN believes that the numbers don’t stack up, then how will new countries, with currencies valued at less than the British Pound afford to compete? How will BMW ORACLE sell a television package that doesn’t boast the best sailors in the world? Who are the teams who were so enthusiastic about the new boat rule that BMW ORACLE decided to use it instead of a monohull?

America’s Cup teams are not national and are not franchises in the sense that basketball teams are. F1 may be the best comparison – some are run as businesses and some are the whim of rich blokes. Every so often, the rules are changed and every so often teams threaten to pull out of the competition. In 2010, F1 survived the loss of BMW and the America’s Cup will probably survive the loss of TEAMORIGIN, but just who will the ‘Facebook Generation’ be cheering for in 2013?

More America’s Cup Business News…

It’s not quite clear who the audience for this video by TEAMORIGIN is. Perhaps it is corporate guests of the team at the Audi Med Cup. Perhaps it is Jaguar who supported the team during the 1851 Cup during Cowes Week. Perhaps it is the British public. Perhaps it is potential new sponsors or commercial partners.

Posted on the 9th of September on YouTube, while Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy are off in Denmark for the Danish leg of the World Match Racing Tour, it refer explicitly to the value of sponsorship. So perhaps it is designed to calm any questions that potential partners might have had about one of the main team members questioning the level of commercial involvement in sailing on a blog that reaches over 30 million users.

Meanwhile, we wait for what the Defender and the Challenger of Record have to announce on Monday. Have they got the pulse of the sporting public right?

More America’s Cup News

The 1851 Cup surprised me. Initially I was sceptical about the exhibition match between TeamOrigin and BMW ORACLE to commemorate the original race around the Isle of Wight that became the America’s Cup, but having experienced the event last week in Cowes and having seen the coverage that was generated for the sport in non-sailing press, it was a resounding success.

Perhaps most surprising of all was the action. While the Defender (the challenger seems to be MIA) continues speculation about competing the 34th America’s Cup in a multi-hull, the version 5 boats provided exciting action in the strong Solent breeze.

The 55 mile ‘Around the Island’ race could have been a rather dull affair, but James Spithill and Ben Ainslie raced it as if they were on a 1 mile match racing course. Added to the aggressive match racing tactics were ripped spinnakers and broken spinnaker poles and sailing on the very edge of the envelope that the boats were designed for.

Perhaps sensing that the race would not deliver the picture perfect finish, the rules were rigged in a NASCAR style agreement that had many followers totally confused. Apparently both teams agreed that if one was too far ahead at a certain point, they would restart with a one minute time penalty to the boat that had been behind. To the non-sailing guests that I was with, it made a bit of a mockery of the whole thing. Comparisons with WWF wresting were made, which is hardly the kind of perception you want to give newcomers to the sport.

The other downside was that the racing took place so far offshore. This is partly because of the amount of water needed to sail the boats and partly because Cowes Week gives priority to the other races. Like many of the America’s Cups of the past, the action could only be followed by boat. Although images were beamed back to a shoreside screen with live commentary augmented by ‘Virtual Eye’ 3D animation, the event doesn’t come close to the spectator experience provided around the corner by the Extreme Sailing Series.

No doubt, Jaguar’s opportunistic sponsorship of TeamOrigin for the event would have delivered a pretty decent ROI. It remains to be seen whether the deal will last longer than the ‘Summer of Sailing’. Many of the sponsorship decisions related to the America’s Cup will be put on hold until key information is released – including where the events will be sailed.

More America’s Cup News…

As auto makers strike to position themselves as environmentally sustainable brands, another car manufacturer has announced a sponsorship deal in the sport of sailing. Jaguar will join TEAMORIGIN for a summer of sailing starting with the 1851 Cup in Cowes next week. The event which recreates the original America’s Cup race around the Isle of Wight also sets up a race between competing luxury car brands with the American team being sponsored by BMW.

The partnership, which will be described as ‘TEAMORIGIN racing with Jaguar’ comes under the umbrella of the Jaguar Academy of Sport, which aims to recognise, celebrate and inspire the very best of British sporting talent and success.

The deal helps Jaguar strengthen its environmental credentials, not only through the associations of a wind-powered sport, but also through signing up to TEAMORIGIN’s ‘Race for Change’ which compels partners of the team to adhere to strict environmental goals monitored by the Carbon Trust.

Sir Keith Mills, Team Principal, TEAMORIGIN, commented:

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jaguar as our partner. There is a superb fit and alignment of purpose between TEAMORIGIN and Jaguar. Jaguar is clearly one of the most revered and iconic British brands and, just as Jaguar is now taking on and beating the best in the automotive world, so our mission is to take on and beat the best in the world on the water. The fit is further enhanced through our shared commitment to improve our environmental performance.”

Geoff Cousins, Managing Director, Jaguar UK commented:

“To partner with TEAMORIGIN is a fantastic opportunity for Jaguar. We are looking forward to the first appearance this summer at the 1851 Cup event, an exciting competition, which will see Britain’s best sailing talent compete against the current holders of The America’s Cup. It’s a mouth-watering prospect and one we are proud to support. This is a serious British endeavour, which fits perfectly with the recently launched Jaguar Academy of Sport, which is all about investing in the future of British Sporting talent.”

TEAMORIGIN’s newly branded livery will appear during Cowes Week and will feature striking Jaguar branding on both the hull and sails. The spinnaker will feature a Jaguar leaper in Union Jack Motif, the symbol of the Jaguar Academy of Sport.

Ben Ainslie, Skipper and Helmsman of TEAMORIGIN,commented:

“TEAMORIGIN’s goal is to win the America’s Cup for Great Britain, to achieve this we need to engage the support of like minded partners. In Jaguar, we can see great synergies where they share our passion for sport and competition at the highest level.”

More Automotive Sailing Sponsorship News…

The 1851 Cup is a great idea. Not only will the race help to rebuild perceptions about the America’s Cup, but it will also provide spectators at Cowes Week with something else to watch from the 3rd to the 6th of August. The America’s Cup Trophy will also be on display at a special marquee adjacent to the Royal Yacht Squadron.

The 1851 Cup will recreate an historic race around the Isle of Wight which was won by the yacht ‘America’ and gave rise to the America’s Cup. Racing will be held as close to West Cowes as possible to give spectators a close-up view. On Thursday 5th of August, TEAMORIGIN and BMW ORACLE will race clockwise around the Island, replicating the direction sailed in 1851.

On the 3rd, 4th of August, 3 match races will be held each day. Another ‘Round the Island’ Race will take place on the 6th of August.

The publicity for the event and the ‘cut and paste’ press say:

The two hottest match racing skippers in the world, TEAMORIGIN’s Ben Ainslie, and BMW ORACLE Racing’s James Spithill, will lead their teams contesting the 1851 Cup. Britain’s TEAMORIGIN will be the be first potential challenger for the next America’s Cup to race head-to-head with BMW ORACLE Racing, winners of the 33rd America’s Cup.

Now ‘hottest’ is a subjective term – perhaps the PR folk are talking about Ben’s fashion shoots for Henri Lloyd or some ‘hot or not’ competition for match-racing skippers that we don’t know about. In the other races where potential challengers for the next America’s Cup race head-to-head with BMW ORACLE, the  Louis Vuitton Trophy, Ainslie and Spithill have not been the pick of the bunch. In the last event BMW ORACLE finished 9th out of 10 and TEAMORIGIN came in 7th. According to ISAF, in the official World Match Racing rankings, Ainslie is 3rd after Adam Minoprio and Torvar Mirsky and James Spithill is not in the top 25.

Nevertheless, Australian James Spithill the youngest-ever America’s Cup skipper, will go into battle against Great Britain’s Ben Ainslie, aged 33, Skipper and Helmsman of TEAMORIGIN, four times Olympic medallist with 3 golds and 1 silver. Ainslie said:

“This will be an incredible event which I am sure will capture the imagination of sports fans across the UK. We relish the idea of taking on the Defenders in our home waters. We have a busy season in 2010 and The 1851 Cup is one that we are all particularly looking forward to.”

James Spithill, Skipper of BMW ORACLE Racing added:

“Ben’s a mate and fantastic sailor. Having said that, we’re really looking forward to taking the fight to him and his guys. For our team, this is a key stepping stone from having been victorious challengers in February when we beat Alinghi, to becoming a unit that has to defend the 34th America’s Cup.”

More America’s Cup News Here…

Conspiracy theorists who argued that the removal of Kiwi Mike Sanderson from TEAMORIGIN was a result of some British pureblood campaign have been proved wrong by the appointment of Australian Grant Simmer to the role of CEO.

Simmer was most recently Managing Director and Design Co-ordinator of Alinghi, winners of the America’s Cup in 2003 and 2007, but his America’s Cup credentials include being navigator aboard Australia II in 1983 .

Grant Simmer, CEO,commented on his new role,

“I am delighted to join TEAMORIGIN and am looking forward to working with Sir Keith, Ben and all the team to develop and execute a plan to overcome the other Challengers and lead us into the next America’s Cup Match. Fortunately TEAMORIGIN appears to have great strengths and leadership in each department. Mike Sanderson, who has now left the team, played a key role in managing the team through some difficult times and the team is in pretty good shape. I anticipate each area simply getting on with their jobs and that I will play a key role in overseeing and coordinating their activities.

TEAMORIGIN has had to survive during several years of uncertainty while the Deed of Gift Match was resolved. Now, with the new Defender in place, we are all anxiously awaiting announcements of their plans for the 34th Cup. These are exciting times for sure, and these plans will include the format of racing, type of boats to be raced, the dates of competition and many other significant details. We should know all this information by the end of September and can then develop and refine our strategy leading to the next Cup.”

Simmer’s new role as CEO sees him take responsibility for the sporting and technical activities of the team as well as overseeing the commercial operations.

Sir Keith Mills, Team Principal, added his thoughts:

“Today’s announcement is part of the team’s long term strategy to enhance the leadership and management. We are moving into the next phase of operations and Grant brings with him invaluable experience from both a Challenger and Defenders perspective. Our mission is to win the America’s Cup and today’s announcement forms a fundamental part of that strategy.”

This will be Simmer’s eighth America’s Cup. He first competed in 1983 at the age of 27 as Navigator onboard Australia II. There he played a part in sporting history when Australia II became the first challenger to ever win the America’s Cup ending 132 years of US supremacy and the longest winning streak in sports history. Since that momentous win, Simmer has had diverse roles and responsibilities in another seven America’s Cup campaigns, culminating with the Swiss Alinghi team, winning the Cup in 2003 and 2007 in the role of Design Coordinator and most recently as the team’s Managing Director.

Ben Ainslie, Skipper and Helmsman, added his views,

“This is great news for TEAMORIGIN and it comes at a time when we are finally seeing some resolution to the past few years of event delays. Soon we hope to have a detailed Protocol and programme for the 34th America’s Cup.  Grant’s experience and talent will bring strong leadership and structure to the team at this critical time and his sailing and design skills will enhance our strengths as we move forward.”

More TEAMORIGIN News…

Like many elite sports, there are very few spots for truly professional competitive sailors. In 2009, The World Match Racing Tour introduced a system of Tour Cards that allowed qualifying teams guaranteed entry to events.

This system allows teams on the tour to more effectively plan their season and give more security to sponsors. The tour card system should also give security to promoters by guaranteeing big name sailors will compete at the events, though in 2009, not all card holders competed in all events.  The Tour Card process has been changed slightly for 2010. Tour Card Holders will receive entry into 6 of the 9 events. Tour placings are determined by results in five races plus the Monsoon Cup. Teams can compete in all nine races if they gain wildcard entries.

With the America’s Cup looking like it will return to a more traditional monohull match racing format, the World Match Racing Tour will once again become the place where future America’s Cup helmsmen and Skippers are made.

The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) has announced the names of the nine Tour Card Holders for the 2010 season.  They are:

• Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch – ISAF Match Racing World Champion (2009)
• Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team – Finished 2nd in 2009
• Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin – Finished 3rd in 2009
• Francesco Bruni (ITA) Team Azzura
• Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
• Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team
• Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team
• Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team
• Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar

Tour Director, Craig Mitchell said

“Last year, we had a great season. This year, we have received a tremendous response from the teams and believe that the 2010 series will be an even bigger and more significant series for the WMRT, the skippers and teams, as well as for everyone following the action on-site at the events or through the media,”

“We see the level of professionalism amongst the skippers and teams going up each year and 2010 will be no exception. We are looking forward to another great series of events and crowning a worthy champion. It is going to be fiercely competitive from the first race in France, in April, all the way through to the last race in Malaysia, in December,”