All nine of the World Match Racing Tour Card Holders will compete in the 2011 Argo Group Gold Cup, October 4-9 at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, but they may not all race each other in the event. The unique 24-team format divides the skippers into three eight-team groups for the qualifying sessions which knock sixteen skippers out early in the week. Some of the Card Holders may lose in the early rounds to eager young skippers hungry for Tour cards in the future. Bermuda’s Gold Cup competition is fierce from the start.
Bermuda’s Argo Group Gold Cup is the penultimate event on the Tour. Championship points gained here will be critical going into the Monsoon Cup, the Tour finale in December. At the top of the skipper’s list in Bermuda, leading the Tour after five events, is Francesco Bruni (Bruni Racing) from Italy. He leads the Tour today with 81 points and is second in the ISAF Match Race Open rankings.
“This will be my first time in Bermuda,” Bruni commented, “and it is my first time to sail in the Gold Cup boats, the International One Design. I'm very excited to race in Bermuda for the first time.”
“We know it is going to be very hard to compete against our opponents” [five of the 2011 skippers have won the King Edward VII Gold Cup before], Bruni added. “Everything will be new for us; but at the same time, I usually like slow and heavy boats. I hope to get a good feeling with the IODs very quickly.”
Peter Gilmour (AUS) of YANMAR Racing now stands second on the WMRT leaderboard. He took the Gold Cup three times― in 1995, 1997 and for the last time in 2003. The last time he was in the Bermuda event was in 2009. He had a tough time that year with penalties and was knocked out in the early rounds. Gilmour will be a tough competitor in 2011, as always.
Ian Williams (GBR), Team GAC Pindar, is now third on the Tour and hopes to redeem himself in Bermuda after missing the cut in the Repechage Round in 2010. Williams is hot this year with two firsts and a third in the last three WMRT events. He will be a force to be reckoned with in the final three events of the year. Experience counts in Bermuda, and Williams has that on his side. He won the Gold Cup in 2006. Williams is now first in the ISAF Match Race Open rankings.
Other Tour Card Holders on the Bermuda list with their names already on the Gold Cup are Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team who won in 2008, Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team who won in 2007, and Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners who won back in 2002 and then was runner-up in 2010.
Rounding out the group of nine WMRT Card Holders signed up for 2011 are Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team (winner of Match Race France 2011), Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat and Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing.
The Tour Card Holders are joined by some top level ISAF ranked match racers: Bjorn Hanson (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team who won the 2011 Korea Match Cup, Taylor Canfield (ISV) Team ISV, Ruben Corbett (NZL) Aon Racing, Simone Ferrarese (ITA) Farrarese Racing Team, Staffan Lindburg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team, Eric Monnin (SUI) Swiss Match Race Team, Jacub Pawluk (POL) Sailing Poland, Laurie Jury (NZL) Kiwi-Match Sailing, Terry McLughlin (CAN) McLaughlin Racing, Keith Swinton (AUS) Swinton Racing and William Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing. The list includes 15 of the top 25 ISAF ranked skippers.
Three additional slots will be filled by skippers who receive automatic invitations by winning one of the qualifiers… the Bermuda National Match Race Championship, the Knickerbocker Cup and the Detroit Cup. If any of the winners of these events has already accepted a Bermuda invitation, the organizers will select a team from the waiting list.
In addition to Argo Group, key sponsors include The Bermuda Department of Tourism as Official Host, Aon Benfield and Guy Carpenter as Presenting Sponsors, and Renaissance Re and Bacardi as Primary Sponsors. XL is a Contributing Sponsor. Renaissance Re will once again sponsor the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup, an invitational International Optimist Dinghy youth regatta sailed in Bermuda’s Great Sound and Hamilton Harbour.
For more information about the Argo Group Gold Cup, go to
www.argogroupgoldcup.com
Argo Group Gold Cup Media Contact:
Talbot Wilson, Talbot Wilson & Associates, Inc.
Tel: +1 (850)432-8170 Fax: +1 (850)432-8050
Mobile: +1 (850)217-7138
Email: [email protected]
SKYPE: talbotwilson
Argo Group Contact:
Lisa Scannell VP - Mkting & Communications
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +1 (617) 478 5206
Mobile: +1 (857) 205 9668
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Contact:
Nicole Butterworth, Sailing Secretary
Email: [email protected]
Tel: (441) 295 2214 Ex 105
Fax:(441) 295 6361
WMRT Contact:
Audrey Lakai
Mobile: + 6 012 502 2206
Email: [email protected]
WMRT Press information:
contact Capitalize:
Rupert Hains
Tel: +44 (0) 207 940 1700
Mobobile: +44 (0) 7887 993 240
Email: [email protected]
About Argo Group:
Working Together to Serve Specialty Markets
Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NasdaqGS: AGII), is an international provider of specialty property and casualty insurance, reinsurance and managed risk solutions. The companies that make up Argo Group share a firm commitment to working together with our independent agents and wholesale and retail brokerage partners to deliver innovative products for niche markets.
Argo Group clients and shareholders alike benefit from our deep understanding of the markets we serve, our ability to manage through all insurance cycles, our well developed and prudent risk management practices and controls, and our track record of growth and profitability. Through our operating companies, we offer a comprehensive line of high-quality products and services designed to meet the unique coverage and claims-handling needs of our clients in four business segments: Excess and Surplus Lines, Commercial Specialty, Reinsurance and International Specialty, which includes our Lloyd’s syndicate.
At Argo Group, we've built a company with a fundamental purpose of securing the future and a straightforward vision to achieve outstanding results realized together.
Organization-wide, our strategy―easy to define and rewarding to deploy―is to grow hand-in-hand with our clients.
www.argolimited.com
About Bermuda
Although Bermuda is an Atlantic island paradise in its own right, many people mistakenly believe Bermuda is part of the Caribbean. In fact, the island rests hundreds of miles north of the Bahamas, a mere 650 miles east of North Carolina. Flights from New York and other eastern US cities are less than two hours. From London, direct flights are about seven hours. All of Bermuda fits in a cozy 20.7 square miles surrounded by 75 miles of dramatic coastline. Bermuda is famous for hospitality and sparkling pink-sand beaches. Activities include racquet sports, dramatic golfing, spectacular spas, and cultural festivals in all seasons. Of course Bermuda is famous for sailing as a destination for ocean races from Marion, Newport, and Charleston, for Cruising rallies for other East Coast ports and as host to many national and international competitive events.
From chic international cuisine in posh dining rooms to conch stew and local Rockfish at a roadside café, we have a taste to please every palate and budget. While Bermudians do value island tranquility, we like to have a bit of fun, too. From swanky clubs to friendly neighborhood pubs, these after-hours establishments satisfy every thirst. Cocktail in hand and warm sea breeze at your back, set sail on one of our evening cruises along our famous coastline. For details on all the excitement and events Bermuda has to offer, call your travel agent or visit us at www.bermudatourism.com
About the ISAF World Match Racing Tour
The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) is the leading professional sailing series featuring 8 World Championship events across the globe, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with “Special Event” status.
The World Tour awards over US$1.75million in prize money with points awarded at each event culminating in the crowning of the “ISAF Match Racing World Champion”. The prize fund includes a US$500,000 overall prize pool for the top nine teams in the Championship.
Events take place in identically supplied racing yachts to place the focus on team work and skill. Racing takes place close to the shore for the general public to follow the races as virtual on-the-water stadiums.
Media and television highlights coverage reaches in excess of 183 countries around the world.
For more information, please visit: www.wmrt.com