Winning The Malaysian Match Racing Championship 2010 (MMRC) Monsoon Cup Qualifier

Summary of our Days at Kuala Terengganu

We won the Championship last weekend at Kuala Terengganu, everything looks so easy on the news we were kinda portrayed liked it was an easy win but was it?...
It wasn't.

The level of match racing in Malaysia keep increasing every year, and the event were much more worthy of the grade 3 event tag compared to the years before. Winning it was an uphill task and here is our account...


Despite not being the defending champion we have always been one of the firm favorites to win it. For on paper every single crew member have won something on their own or with the team .

On day one and two, we were rusty and nervous, almost throwing our first race away. We also took a lot of penalties and even received a black flag on day one. We tried to improve on day two but our progressed was slow but was lucky to end the day winning 3 matches in a row and also taking a race off the defending champion

On day 3, we identified 2 weakness, our speed was not up to the par in the light wind, and we were too aggressive in trying to get other teams penalty. So we took some measure in overcoming the weakness, we made 2 rules, rule 1 we are not allowed to point at all today and rule 2, we remained aggressive but avoid contact with
another boat at all cost.

It started really well, until we gave away 2 races in a row, putting us in a very vulnerable position. We had to win the remaining 2 matches for a spot in semi final, winning one race only may tie us at 9 point with Tiffany and Razali but we will lose out on count back.

so it was risky, but the matter are still on our hand, and we could not rely on others result as we starts early for the last two flight.

We hold on to our breathe and made it. Winning the race against the defending champion and the finalist of MMRC 2009. Both races we won the pre start and lead from the start to the end.

After racing two round robins we begins to feel weary and tired, but despite that we were convinced we are fitter than the other teams and in the semi final against Nik, we took first race without any problem, on second he was late on the pre start, we made most of the opportunity to give him a penalty and he ended up with a black flag.
On the last final race, the pre start was pretty neutral with Nik reaching the windward mark first, we pressed on, and was unfortunate to be penalized for not giving him enough room when we passed by a navigation buoy where our spinnakers touches.

Yet we were not nervous, we tailed him closely, and manged to get under him near windward mark, luffed him up just enough to give us space , while he had bear off to round the mark, we gybe and bear off to offset our penalty inside him...that was our best move in the MMRC2010, we came back side by side heading towards the finishing line, a gybing battle ensued and we came out on top to win the race!

On the Final race, the wind continues to blow, Tiffany started the race really well, we knew her team was tired, and engaged her in a taking duel. We were spot on as she loses out about 2 boats length after few tacking. Knowing that we can take advantage of her weary crews. We continuously engage her in the next two races. We were really tired too but we had our game face on. We were relieved at the end of the day for managing to live up to our team's name.

Post MMRC, Story on How did Tiffany Koo made it to the Final of MMRC 2010

In short, Tiffany is very good in explaining what she wants and what she expects from every crew members, never mind that she is having a scratch team that was assembled days before the Monsoon Cup Qualifier, she is a TWO time champions of the Malaysian Match Racing Championship.

Good crew members are hard to come by but her network has allowed her access to a vast talent pool from around the globe. Days before the qualifier it was reported that Reuben Corebett skipper of Black Sheep Racing is sailing with her, although that did not materialize.Yet She still have Jason Caroll a sailor filled with seamanship from doing delivering and skippering boats, Maximilian Soh Sea games and Asian Games Gold Medalist, and then she have 2 of the defending champion's winning team crew from 2009.

It it no doubt a scratch team but a closer look, this is a very strong scratch team, and this is evident by the way they proceeds to the semi-finals,

With Maxi acting as a tactician, Jason providing his seamanship and the 2 others providing stability and boat handling having sailed and trained on the boat before.
Tiffany's team is strong. And give 2 days to Tiffany to train them ;they are now a winning Team !

In the semi-final, she may have lost the first match, but with the wind blowing the next day for match 2, she was ruthless, she took control of all pre start, while Hazwan was more than happy just killing time doing rounds around the committee boat before the horn blows for the start and that made him very predictable. Tiffany just needed to disrupt his time to the line.

In the deciding match Tiffany clearly wanted it more, we can see from the pontoons that both teams were tired from 2 Round robins, after going ahead Hazwan does a split tack and allows separations between him and Tiffany. Unfortunately for Hazwan, Tiffany was in the lifting side of the course, rounded the windward mark first and she never looks back from there, winning the race for a match against her brother Jeremy Koo in the final.

News:Winds Of Change Sweep Jeremy Into Monsoon Cup

KUALA TERENGGANU, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- Jeremy Koo (Koo Racing Team-Evernew) swept past younger sister and two-time champion Tiffany (Koo Racing Team) to win the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC) at Pulau Duyong here.

The win enables him to sail in the Monsoon Cup at the same venue between Nov 30 and Dec 5.

Jeremy, who crewed for Tiffany when she emerged victorious in the MMRC in 2006 and 2007, had mixed emotions after sailing to a 3-0 victory in the first ever MMRC final to feature siblings.

He was elated he had finally claimed the MMRC as skipper after finishing third last year, but sad he denied his sister a chance to win the title for a third time.

Jeremy admitted he was lucky the wind was strong today, as he felt a lighter wind would have favoured Tiffany.

"I finally did it. The crew were just tremendous today and I am delighted to finally win the MMRC, but a little sad as I beat my sister.

"She was a little unlucky as the strong wind helped me," he said in a press conference later, adding he would be flying to Hong Kong to prepare for the China Cup and train with the South Korean Asian Games squad before competing in the Monsoon Cup.

Meanwhile, Tiffany, who has not competed in the MMRC for two years, said she did not expect to reach the semi-final, let alone the final, as it was a last-minute decision to return to the MMRC.

"Honestly, he was too good today and I have no complaints," she said.

Tiffany stormed into the final when she defeated defending champion Hazwan Hazim Dermawan (Team Pulse-AC Law) 3-1 in a dramatic semi-final. Her win over Hazwan, who topped the qualifying rounds with a 13-3 record, kept up the MMRC tradition of always having a female sailor in the final.

The four-day Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC) begins on Oct 25.

The winner of the AMRC will also earn a berth in the Monsoon Cup. A third qualifier will be the winner of the Sunseeker Australia Cup, to be held from Nov 24-27, while the World Match Racing Tour will award a wild card.

The Monsoon Cup is the season ending race on the tour.

The world's top sailors will be in Terengganu with five skippers still in the race to be crowned world champion.

Source & Credits
Bernama.com
-- BERNAMA

News : Cruise for Jeremy

2010/10/23
By Zainuddin Muhammad



Skipper Jeremy Koo with his Racing Team crew after winning the title yesterday. — Picture by Rozainah Zakaria


IT was big brother Jeremy Koo's turn to find fame in the Malaysian Match Racing Championships (MMRC) after cruising to a 3-0 victory over sister and two-time champion Tiffany in the final at Pulau Duyong yesterday.

The 29-year-old skipper of Koo Racing Team, who beat Team Malaysia One helmsman Nik Ashraf Qaedi Nik Azizan in the semi-finals, was in his element in the race-to-five final and provided little room for his 26-year-old sibling -- champion in 2006 and 2007, to mount a challenge.

With 19 years of sailing experience and multiple titles under his belt, Jeremy said it was about time he won the national qualifiers, which booked him a place in the Monsoon Cup proper on Nov 30-Dec 5.


"When we found out that Tiffany would race against us in the final, we knew we had a slight advantage as we were better prepared than her newly assembled team.

"We have been hitting the gymnasium for quite a while now and we knew that we would be tougher and stronger than them, and we were proven right in the end," Jeremy said after receiving the winners' trophy from Monsoon Cup adviser Datuk Peter Gilmour.

Defending champion Hazwan Hazim Dermawan of Pulse AC Law, beaten by Tiffany in the semi-final, settled for third place after defeating Nik Ashraf in the playoff.


Fifth place went to Nurul Elia Anuar of Sail Putrajaya who defeated Mohamad Razali Mansor of Malaysia Armed Forces One while Rizal Mahadi Sazili of Royal Selangor Yacht Club beat Mohd Masyuri Rahmat of Malaysian Yachting Association for seventh place.

Source & Credits
Read more: Cruise for Jeremy http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/oafiuhu/Article/#ixzz13KsTp6CX

MMRC 2010 End of Day 3 : It has been a roller coaster day!

Tiffany 's day.

Tiffany started the day really well taking a point off Razali, and her beloved brother Jeremy and although she lost the match against Hazwan due to her pitman being in the water, all she needed to do was to win the race against Elia to confirmed her place on the semi- final!

Jeremy Koo's day.

On the other hand our day was filled with ups and downs, we did well in the first race getting a win over Nik but was careless in giving the race against Razali and Tiffany away.
We were leading in both races but the shifty wind and bad decisions gave the races away. And that put us in really bad positions, for now we needed to win both our remaining matches to put ourselves in the semis! And the remaining matches are against the defending champion hazwan and last year's finalist Nurul Elia, so it was really an uphill task.

The pressure is really on us now, but we were saved by the bell , it was lunch time. And we had time to take the negativity off us.

After lunch we came out roaring, literally !, we were really furious when our race against Hazwan was abandoned after we won the pre start, as it seems a photographer were hiding inside the boat. And due to number difference the PRO had to stop the race! Our adrenalin was pumping and our temper flies for this is a must win race. But maybe this was a blessing in disguise as this incident took our nervousness away, and we took the race from Hazwan and Elia without much of a problem.


Now both KRT Teams are in the Semis.
Till date,

TIffany lost her first race against Hazwan
While
Jeremy won his first race against Nik

First to win 3 races , will proceed to the Final!

MMRC 2010 End of Day 1 :Black Day with a Silver Lining

Today, Koo Racing Team Evernew which is lead by Jeremy, had at least 1 penalty in 3 out of 5 matches. The team now are quite used to do it, abad manged to recover well coming back from behind, except for the race against Nik, where we kept receiving penalties which would most probably goes the other way in another day. We ended up receiving a black flag . We accept the decisions, and had a lot of discussion about it and felt like we have moved forward and learned a great deal.

Tiffany Koo, lost her first race to formidable Razali from the Royal Malaysian Armed Forces, and the second against our team which is lead by Jeremy Koo.


The losses and penalties we received today have definitely powered us up, showing our mistakes and and we tries very hard to make most of it, learning from it, improving our skills.

Semi final spot are still mathematically within reach for both KRT Teams! And we still stand a good chance to get it!

KRT at MMRC - Monsoon Cup Qualifier Day 1 - Prelunch

Tiffany Koo got off to a great start winning her first race against Malaysian Asian Games Representative and a second win against Jerome from Putrajaya five 'O', Tiffany's KRT team received a huge boost when Saiful whom was a bowman of Hazwan's winning team last year joined her. Tiffany was searching for a bowman just before MMRC starts. WIth Saiful, Tiffany now recruited 2 of Hazwan's crew last year.

While Jeremy Koo's KRT Evernew had a nervy start against fellow friend Rizal who also hails from Royal Selangor Yacht Club. Tom gave Jeremy a penalty at the start, and Jeremy have to give it all to retake the lead at the windward mark.

WMRT News: Monsoon Cup Space Up For Grabs at Malaysian Match Racing Championship

Terengganu, Malaysia,19 October 2010

With the promise of a berth at the World Match Racing Tour’s (WMRT) Championship finale - The Monsoon Cup - on offer for the winner, The Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC) has attracted a stellar field of Malaysia’s finest match racers, including two former winners of the MMRC.

The four day event, which starts on Wednesday, 20th October, will feature an intriguing mix of former champions, sibling rivalry and future sailing stars, who will all be desperately battling it out to book their spot at the Monsoon Cup.

Tiffany Koo (Koo Racing Team), the 2006 and 2007 MMRC winner, is returning in an attempt for a hat-trick of wins, while defending champion Hazwan Hazim Dermawan (Team Pulse AC Law), boosted by a major sponsorship deal with Pulse Group PLC and AC Law, a leading corporate law firm, will be bidding for a repeat success.

Hazwan’s new sponsorship deal will allow him to make the ground-breaking step and become the first all-Malaysian team to participate in a WMRT event outside of Malaysia, when they compete in the Korea Match Cup Qualifiers next year.

In addition to having to face off the challenge of Hazwan, Tiffany Koo will also need to get the better of her brother Jeremy (Koo Racing Team Evernew), who was part of his sister’s winning teams in 2006 and 2007. Jeremy showed his skills as skipper when reaching the semi-finals last year and will be looking to add his name alongside his sister’s on the coveted winner’s trophy.

The fight for the prestigious MMRC title and the one qualifying spot for the Monsoon Cup will take place at the purpose built world-class match racing venue of Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort and Spa in Pulau Duyong, Terengganu, the same venue used for the Monsoon Cup which takes place from 30th November to 5th December.

The six other teams taking part in the MMRC are: Mohd Razali Mansor (MAF1), Rizal Mahadi (RSYC), Mohd Masyuri (MYA), Nurul Elia Anuar (Sail Putrajaya), Nik Ashraf Nik Qaedi (Malaysia One) and Jerome Welch (Putrajaya 5 O) – will be out to squash Tiffany and Hazwan in Pulau Duyong.

Perhaps the biggest threat to Koo and Hazwan will come from Nurul, the 2009 Monsoon Sailing School (MSS) Most Promising Sailor, who caught the eye when reaching the MMRC final last year. With another year’s experience under her belt, Nurul could be a big threat this week.

The winners of the MMRC and AMRC will each earn a ticket to the Monsoon Cup, the final race of the WMRT 2010 season. The Monsoon Cup promises to be an exciting climax to the season as five skippers – Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team, Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN, Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team and Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar all have a chance to be crowned World Champion.

Malaysian Match Racing Championship Participants List
Hazwan Hazim Dermawan /Perak -Team Pulse-AC Law
Jeremy Koo /Royal Selangor Yacht Club -Koo Racing Team- Evernew
Tiffany Koo /Royal Selangor Yacht Club -Koo Racing Team
Mohd Razali Mansor /Malaysian Armed Forces -MAF1
Rizal Mahadi /Royal Selangor Yacht Club -RSYC
Mohd Masyuri /Malaysian Yachting Association -MYA
Nurul Elia Anuar /Sail Putrajaya -Sail Putrajaya
Nik Ashraf Nik Qaedi /Malaysian Yachting Association -Malaysia One
Jerome Welch /Sail Putrajaya -Putrajaya 5 O

About the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (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 four teams at its inception in 2006, the Malaysian Match Racing Championship has now grown to have 13 local teams taking part in last year's event.

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 Championship 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
2009:Hazwan Hazim (MAS) - Taring Pelangi

Source & Credits
www.wmrt.com

News: Top skippers to battle for Monsoon Cup berth

TWO former champions will battle eight top skippers for the right to represent Malaysia in the Monsoon Cup when the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC) gets under way tomorrow.

Tiffany Koo (Koo Racing Team), the 2006 and 2007 MMRC winner, is returning in an attempt to complete a hat-trick of wins, while defending champion Hazwan Hazim Dermawan (Team Pulse AC Law), boosted by a major sponsorship deal with Pulse Group PLC and AC Law, a leading corporate law firm, has set his sights on loftier goals.

Hazwan's new sponsorship deal will see him lead the first all-Malaysian team to a WMRT event outside of Malaysia when they compete in the Korea Match Cup Qualifiers next year.


But first, he and Tiffany will face a big test in the MMRC, scheduled for Kuala Terengganu. The Asian Match Racing Championships will follow on Oct 25-28.

Eight other teams - Jeremy Koo (Koo Racing Team Evernew), Mohd Razali Mansor (MAF1), Rizal Mahadi (RSYC), Abdul Rahim Mohd Zan (Perak), Mohd Masyuri (MYA), Nurul Elia Anuar (Sail Putrajaya), Nik Ashraf Nik Qaedi (Malaysia One) and Jerome Welch (Putrajaya 5 O) - will be out to deny Tiffany and Hazwan.

Nurul, the 2009 Monsoon Sailing School (MSS) Most Promising Sailor, was also a losing MMRC finalist last year.


But with a year's experience under her belt, she could be a big threat. Masyuri, who is preparing for next month's Asian Games after winning the recent national trials, is another sailor with big ambitions.

With Armed Forces teammate Razali, the duo have been competing in the MMRC since 2006 and both are determined to end their losing streak.

Jeremy has tasted victory as a member of the crew when his sister Tiffany won in 2006 and 2007.


He was a losing semi-finalist last year and will want to show that a winning mentality is very much a Koo family trait.

The winners of the MMRC and AMRC will each earn a ticket to the Monsoon Cup, the final race of the World Match Racing Tour season, on Nov 30-Dec 5.

Source & Credits
Read more: Top skippers to battle for Monsoon Cup berth http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/42LAYAR/Article#ixzz12m6uhjN9

KRT is stepping up a gear at the Monsoon Cup Qualifier

This year we are sending two teams to the Malaysian Match Racing Championship throwing everything at our rivals, the two teams comprises of the best talents from Koo Racing Team.

Tiffany Koo a two time champion at MMRC will spearhead the challenge in Koo Racing Team,

while Jeremy Koo her brother, an extensively experience sailor, who tasted top quality experience in match racing having competed in the 32nd America’s Cup in Valencia Act 12 with Team China, will be leading Koo Racing Team - EverNew

Sources have confirmed there will be 8 other teams competing this time.
They are
Hazwan Hazim Dermawan - Perak - Team Pulse-AC Law
Mohd Razali Mansor - Malaysian Armed Forces - MAF1
Rizal Mahadi - Royal Selangor Yacht Club - RSYC
Abdul Rahim Mohd Zan - Perak
Mohd Masyuri - Malaysian Yachting Association - MYA
Nurul Elia Anuar - Sail Putrajaya - Sail Putrajaya
Nik Ashraf Nik Qaedi - Malaysian Yachting Association - Malaysia One
Jerome Welch - Sail Putrajaya - Putrajaya 5 O

The continuous promotion and the introduction of Monsoon Sailing School have certainly made things difficult for us.
From the list and archive of results available in the internet, we have identified 3 Teams that will give us a run for our money, as these teams have been doing a lot of sailing this year and have been sailing with the same set of crews.

Mohd Masyuri from Malaysian Yachting Association the winner of Asian games selection have been quietly climbing up ladder and grasp the Asian games spot under everyone's nose.

Nurul Elia Anuar from Sail Putrajaya attended the Monsoon Sailing school this year and from the news, she was fearless and did really well at the school. She also won the Round Robin in the Asian Games Selection before stumbling at semi final to Masyuri.

Mohd Razali Mansor from Malaysian Armed Forces, no doubt one of the most experience and consistent team in Malaysia, they have been sailing as a team for quite sometimes now and was unlucky not to win the Asian Games Selection


Koo Racing Team is a sailing team comprises of passionate sailors of Malaysia.

As we look to be more active regionally, we are always looking for sailors from South East Asia to join us in regional fleet racing, match racing and ultimately WMRT!

We are also always looking for potential sponsors who are passionate in sports whom we can made them proud of.


Sailors , Sponsors and media
You can contact us at jeremy6833@gmail.com or shingrey@gmail.com

Cheers

News : All Eyes On Tiffany In Hattrick Bid

'A delighted Tiffany after her victory in 2007' Monsoon Cup © Click Here to view large photo
The biggest name in this year’s Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC) is undoubtedly Tiffany Koo, a two-time winner of the event.


Tiffany, who emerged champion in 2006 and 2007, has been training hard in her attempt to make it a hattrick of victories and will represent the Royal Selangor Yacht Club (RSYC). She will race under the name of Koo Racing Team.


This year’s MMRC is at Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort and Spa in Pulau Duyong from Oct 20-23. It will be followed by the Asian Match Racing Championship from Oct 25-28. The winners of both events will each earn a berth to the prestigious Monsoon Cup at the same venue from Nov 30-Dec 5. A third qualifier will be the winner of the SunseekerAustralia Cup.


The three will join the top eight sailors in the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) plus one wildcard entry in the Monsoon Cup.


The Monsoon Cup is the season ending race on the WMRT. The world’s top sailors will all be in Terengganu with five skippers still in the race to be crowned World Champion.


Tiffany and her crew celebrate winning the 2007 MMRC - Monsoon Cup © Click Here to view large photo
After eight of the nine rounds in this season’s WMRT, Mathieu Richard has accumulated 105 points, to lead defending World Champion and 2009 Monsoon Cup winner Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing by 15 points.


Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN, a multiple Olympic gold medallist, is a further two points behind Minoprio, but has the momentum after his stunning victory last weekend in the Argo Gold Cup, the penultimate round of this season’s WMRT.


Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team (76 Points) and two-time World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar (72 Points) are the other skippers still in with a chance to top the standing as 38 points will be awarded to the Monsoon Cup winner.


Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team (60 Points), Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra (53 Points) and Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing (51 Points) round up the top eight, who all get automatic berths to the Monsoon Cup.


Tiffany, who won a gold medal in the laser category at the 2001 SEA Games, will start as the hot favourite to regain the title.

Defending MMRC champion Hazwan Hazim, who has returned to Perak a year after winning the title while sailing for Terengganu, will be Tiffany’s main rival in this year’s competition. Nurul Ain Md Isa, the 2008 MMRC Champion, will not be racing this year.


For more information, please contact:
Mira Navaretna
mira@tbest.com.my
+603-22833324
www.monsooncup.com.my


About the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (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 last year's event.
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 Championship 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
2009: Hazwan Hazim (MAS) - Taring Pelangi


About the Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC)
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.
Last year saw 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.
Now it has grown to include the participation of youths under 25 from around the globe.


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




by Monsoon Cup 2010

Source & Credits
This article was published at http://www.sail-world.com/newsfeed_show.cfm?nfid=19&nid=75898

News : Tiffany going for hat-trick

THE biggest name in this year's Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC) is undoubtedly Tiffany Koo, a two-time winner of the event.

Tiffany, who emerged champion in 2006 and 2007, has been training hard in her attempt to make it a winning hat-trick when she represents the Royal Selangor Yacht Club (RSYC) racing under the name of Koo Racing Team.

This year's three-day MMRC is at Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort and Spa in Pulau Duyong starting on Wednesday and will be followed by the Asian Match Racing Championship on Oct 25-28. The winners earn a berth in the Nov 30-Dec 5 Monsoon Cup at the same venue. A third qualifier will be the winner of the SunseekerAustralia Cup.


The three will join the top eight sailors in the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) plus one wild card in the Monsoon Cup, the season ending race on the WMRT. The world's top sailors will all be in Terengganu with five skippers still in the race to be crowned world champion.

After eight of the nine rounds in this season's WMRT, Mathieu Richard has accumulated 105 points to lead defending World Champion and 2009 Monsoon Cup winner Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing by 15 points.

Britain's Ben Ainslie of Teamorigin. a multiple Olympic gold medallist, is a further two points behind Minoprio but has the momentum after his stunning victory in the recent Argo Gold Cup, the penultimate round of the WMRT.


Torvar Mirsky's Mirsky Racing Team of Australia and two-time world champion Ian Williams' Team GAC Pindar of Britain are the other skippers still in with a chance to top the standings.

Dane Jesper Radich of the Radich Racing Team, Italian Francesco Brunic of Azzurra and Australian Peter Gilmour of YANMAR Racing round up the top eight, who all get automatic berths to the Monsoon Cup.

Tiffany, who won a gold medal in the laser category at the 2001 Sea Games, will start as the hot favourite to regain the title.


Defending MMRC champion Hazwan Hazim, who has returned to Perak a year after winning the title while sailing for Terengganu, will be Tiffany's main rival in this year's competition. Nurul Ain Mohd Isa, the 2008 MMRC Champion, will not be racing.

Source & Credits
Read more: Tiffany going for hat-trick http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/40sailtiffany/Article#ixzz12h3QxAyw