12:31 PM Wed 25 Nov 2009 GMT
Jeremy Koo of Koo Racing Team - ACL Law Top Round Robin Races, Advance To Semis - Final
The shifts in weather patterns have brought more excitement to sailors and spectators in the third days of the round robin races at the 2009 Malaysian Match Racing Championship, in Kuala Terengganu.
There were sunny skies minus the roaring thunder as Jeremy Koo's skipper for Koo Racing Team-AC Law came out on top of their game after winning all their races today to advance to the semi-finals along with Sail Putrajaya Team with Nur Elia Anuar at helm, Malaysian Armed Forces 1 skippered by Mohammad Razali Mansor and Taring Pelangi team led by Hazwan Hazim Dermawan.
Day three on the waters, Club Marina Terengganu team provided the thrills and spills by turning spoilers for other hopeful teams. Starting the day without any wins on day 1 and day 2 of the round robins, Club Marina Terengganu team led by HamdanYahya, saved their best for the last, when they sailed to five wins. However, the homesters failed to make it to the top four and subsequently missed the boat for the semi-finals tomorrow.
Jeremy, who is based in Hong Kong and working for a billionaire steel magnate, has had the experience of competing for China Team in the America's Cup in 2007. He said: 'Today, our team worked in harmony. All of us worked hand in glove and this gave us a good output, thus our good performance.'
He added 'The good weather and consistent strong breeze - about 8-12 knots- were very ideal for match racing and they complimented our efforts to go all out to win the races.
'We received a wake-up call on the first day of the races on Monday when we lost to Malaysian Armed Forces 1 team, it was a lesson well learned and that defeat actually raised our adrenalin to go for wins in all our other races,' Jeremy said.
Nur Elia however, was modest and said they would monitor the weather conditions tomorrow before adopting any new approaches to give them a winning edge in the semi-finals.
'We are not going to be complacent but work hard to earn positive results,' she said.
Her comments were also echoed by Mohammad Razali whose team was also undefeated today. However, Mohammad Razali, who is also Nur Elia's coach, said his crew have to cut down on mistakes and judgements.
Incidentally, the semi-final line-up also pits Mohammad Razali against Nur Elia, while Jeremy will be up against Hazwan Hazim Dermawan.
'We don't have any idea of how we are going to approach tomorrow's semi's until we get a better picture of the conditions here tomorrow,' said Hazwan Hazim.
For the race committee, it was a new record as they managed to finish 42 races in 17 flights today which also included some of the races brought forward from day one and two due some rescheduling.
'I'm glad we were able to finish all the races today and we owe them to the divine powers,' said Principal Race Officer Kevin Wilson.
Monsoon Cup Race Advisor Dato Peter Gilmour congratulated the race committee, the umpires and maintenance team for doing a splendid job to get the 42 races finished so that the semi finals can start tomorrow.
Day 3 Result:
1. Jeremy Koo (Koo Racing Team - AC Law) 11-1
2. Nurul Elia Anuar (Sail Putrajaya) 10-2
2. Mohammed Razali Mansor ( MAF1) 10-2
4. Hazwan Hazim Dermawan ( Taring Pelangi ) 8-4
5. Rolf Heemskerk (Team Viewpoint ) 7-5
5. Mahsyuri Rahmat (MAF2) 7-5
7. Rizal Mahadi Sazali (Royal Selangor Yacht Club 2) 6-6
8. Hamdan Yahya (Club Marina Terengganu) 5-7
9. Nasser Abu Bakar (Putrajaya Five O 4-8
9. Nazreen Abdul Ghani (Asian Yachting Match Racing Team) 4-8
9. Abdul Rahim Mohd. Zan ( Harimau Selatan) 4-8
12. Sharizali Mohd Suhaimi (KBS) 2-10
13. Mohd, Rais Hashim (Duyong Heritage Sailing Team) 0-12
For more information or media registration to access high resolution images go to
www.monsooncup.com.my
About the Malaysian Match Racing Championships (MMRC)
Back in 2006, the Monsoon Cup was the first race to have a series of qualifiers to encourage the participation of young, upcoming local sailors in the professional match race scene. Those qualifiers were the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC) and the Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC).
From 4 teams at its inception in 2006, the Malaysian Match Racing Championship has now grown to have 13 local teams taking part in this year's event, taking place on 23-26 November 2009.
The winner will be the sole Malaysian representative at the Monsoon Cup, the final and deciding leg of the World Match Race Championships. It is a chance to compete with the world's top match race sailors.
Malaysian Match Racing Winners:
2006 - Tiffany Koo (MAS) - Team Selangor Gapurna 1
2007 - Tiffany Koo (MAS) - UK Halsey Gapurna
2008 - Nurul Ain Md Isa (MAS) - Perak Sailing Team
About the Asian Match Racing Championships (AMRC)
The Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC) was held on 9-12 November 2009. Participants of teams from various Asian Yachting Clubs vying for a spot in the Monsoon Cup, which is the final leg of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT).
At its debut in 2006, the AMRC saw participation from five regional teams, including from Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong, racing in the world-class Pulau Duyong match race circuit, which is also the venue for the Monsoon Cup.
This year has seen a massive increase in interest with over 30 international teams applying for a chance to compete. But only seven selected teams were racing in the AMRC, including two from Malaysia.
Asian Match Racing Championship Winners:
2006 - Adam Minoprio (NZL) - BlackMatch Racing
2007 - Adam Minoprio (NZL) - BlackMatch Racing
2008 - Keith Swinton (AUS) - BlackSwan Racing
2009 - Phil Robertsson (NZL), Team New Zealand WAKA Racing
About The Monsoon Cup
The Monsoon Cup 2005 celebrated its debut as the 50th official event of the Swedish Match Tour (now known as the World Match Racing Tour), and serves as the Malaysian leg for the prestigious international sailing event. This professional sailing series was formed in 2000 to unite the world's best match-race regattas under one banner.
The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) comprises nine events in nine specially selected locations around the world. As the leading professional sailing series in the world, the Tour events are recognized as must-attend regattas on the match-race circuit.
The Monsoon Cup 2009 will be held at Pulau Duyong, Terengganu, from the 1st to 6th December 2009.
_____________________________________________________________
For information on the World Match Racing Tour:
Yvonne Reid
Tel: +44 (0) 1590 679613
Mob: +44 (0) 7809 149268
E-mail:
yreid@f10marketing.com
Website:
www.worldmatchracingtour.com
For more information on the Malaysian Match Racing Championships/Monsoon Cup :
RURRUM Communications Sdn Bhd
Name : Audrey Lakai
Mobile : 012 309 4377
Email:
audrey.lakai@rurrum.com
by Rurrum
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