Sun, 28 Nov 2010
Since winning the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC) a month ago, Jeremy Koo (Mas) of Koo Racing Team-Evernew has only been dreaming of one thing – creating history in the Monsoon Cup which starts on Tuesday with the Coronation Cup.
As the winner of the MMRC, Jeremy received an invitation to compete in the Monsoon Cup, the last leg of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT). The six-day event will be held at the five-star Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort and Spa from Tuesday until Dec 5.
'I took part in the 2006 and 2007 Monsoon Cup when I crewed for my sister Tiffany, but this will be my first time as skipper. In those two occasions, we only managed to win one race while in 2008 and 2009, the Malaysian representatives each failed to win a single match. As a result, we all finished last,' said Jeremy, who finished second in the recent China Cup.
'My aim this year is two fold. One is to win as many races as possible and secondly, try to avoid ending up with the wooden spoon. I think I have a good chance of upsetting one or two of the skippers but that will be easier said than done.'
Jeremy, who was a member of China’s America’s Cup team in 2007, added his knowledge of the Pulau Duyong race course will be a big help, but accepted that the elite skippers would have already done their homework.
'Obviously, having raced at the course since 2006 would be a big advantage, but the professional sailors are all meticulous in their planning,' said Jeremy. 'I think it will all boil down to tactics and the weather conditions. All it takes is just one bad decision and the race would be over in a flash.'
As for his own preparations, Jeremy said besides the China Cup, he spent one week training with the South Korean sailing team who finished third in the just concluded Asian Games. He also just competed in the Raja Muda International Regatta.
'I will have a day’s rest before flying to Terengganu to meet up with my crew on Tuesday. We will have two hours practice to fine tune our teamwork before the Monsoon Cup,' said Jeremy, who is a former World Champion in the Byte Class. 'I’m feeling confident and can’t wait for the event to begin.'
Besides Jeremy, the other teams who will compete in the Monsoon Cup are Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team, defending World and Monsoon Cup Champion Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN, Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar, Jesper Radich (DEN) Gaastra Racing Team, Francesco Bruni (ITA) Team Azzurra, Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing, Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team, Asian Match Racing Championship winner Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing and Sunseeker Australia Cup qualifier Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing.
Richard (105 points), Minoprio (90), Ainslie (88), Mirsky (76) and Williams (72) are all still in the running to be crowned World Champion, although the odds favour the top three skippers.
The Monsoon Cup qualifiers
1. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team
2. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing
3. Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN
4. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team
5. Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar
6. Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team
7. Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra
8. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
9. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team
10. Jeremy Koo (Mas) Koo Racing Team-Evernew
11. Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing
12. Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing
2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour Standings
(After Stage 8 of 9)
1. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 105 Points
2. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 90 Points
3. Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 88 Points
4. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 76 Points
5. Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar sponsored by Argo Group 72 Points
6. Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team 60 Points
7. Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra 53 Points
8. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 51 Points
9. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team 33 Points
10. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Sigma Racing Team 29 Points
2010 Tour Card Holders
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team
Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra
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 GAC Pindar
by Monsoon Cup Media 2010
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