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