Mirsky Racing Team leads Bermuda Argo Cup undefeated

[Source: Mirsky Racing Team] Fiery matches were the flavour of the day, with one race seeing 6 penalties altogether. The victim of the onslaught was America’s rules expert Dave Perry who conceded four penalties for a number of infringements around the track in Group 3’s first race of the day.

“We got a bit of a scare down the first run when Perry’s team got two penalties on us for not keeping clear, but then he tried to go for the kill and carted us too far, so we got a penalty back on him” recalled Graeme Spence.

“When we both gybed back for the mark though it was our turn to attack and we managed to put two more penalties on him the same way he got us, and from there on out it was a pretty straightforward race, but it’s always good to have a few races like that to keep the spectators happy!”

MRT have one race left of the first round, but no matter what the result is they are through to the quarterfinals.

“We don’t have a great track record here” said Tudur Owen who is trimming this week “so it is nice to get through this first stage unscathed. We are really going to have to turn up the heat though if we are going to fend off the other top teams in groups 1 and 2.”

Mirsky Racing Team finish second at Danish Open

[Source: Mirsky Racing Team] Going into the day Mirsky Racing Team were down 2-0 to the unstoppable Mathieu Richard and his Saba Sailing Team, but with their backs up against the wall they managed to fight back in a nail biting series to win 3-2 and qualify for the final.

In the other semi final, Adam Minoprio's BlackMatch Racing took victory over Team Azzura from Italy in straight sets, so the stage was set for another exciting finals between the two youngest teams on the Tour.

And what a series it was, going to the full 5 matches as the two teams took turns to snatch victory, the last of which went to BlackMatch Racing.

MRT were leading the majority of the final race, but close to the top mark, a left shift came down the course and gave Minoprio just enough of an advantage to cross MRT. From there, they defended their lead and went on to take the trophy.

Danish Open - Final Results

1st Adam Minoprio BlackMatch Racing
2nd Torvar Mirsky Mirsky Racing Team
3rd Mathieu Richard Saba Sailing Team
4th Francesco Bruni Team Azzura
5th Bjorn Hansen Hansen Global Team
6th Peter Gilmour Yanmar Racing
7th Ben Ainslie Team Origin
8th Bertrand Pace Aleph Sailing Team
9th Mads Ebler Ebler Matchracing
10th William Tiller Full Metal Jacket Racing
11th Susanne Ward Team Ward
12th Michael Buckley MB Sailing

Torvar Mirsky undefeated on Day 3 of the Portimao Portugal Match Cup

[Source: Mirsky Racing Team] Another fine day in Portimao, and another fine day for MRT as they carry on their form from yesterday to win all today’s races.

With unfavourable weather having plagued this year’s Portugal Match Cup, the threat of cutting the format down is looming. This means that the round robin could turn out to be more important than usual, with the winner of the round possibly fast tracking through to the semi finals.

Luckily the slow start to the morning’s racing didn’t have an effect on MRT today as they burst through the gates against Aleph Sailing Team’s French veteran Bertrand Pace. An aggressive start left Pace in the wake of the Australians as they sailed off to carry on their winning spree.

“I guess we are sailing well, but we haven’t quite reached our peak yet, and we are looking to strengthen the way we perform” said MRT’s Welsh pitman Tudur Owen. “I hope we get to sail the quarterfinals tomorrow, because we are really enjoying sailing here this week and want to keep on going as much as we can. It would be a shame to have to cut back on another format this year…”

Torvar Mirsky splits tacks with Bertrand Pace. Portimao, 25 June 2010. Photo copyright Gareth Cooke / Subzero Images

Mirsky Racing Team 3-0 On Day One of Match Race Germany

[Source: Mirsky Racing TeM] After some tough racing in fickle winds, and a little bit of good fortune, the Mirsky Racing Team have finished day one of Match Race Germany undefeated.

A slow start to the day saw MRT stepping on in the 4th flight to race fellow SailRacing representative Magnus Holmburg of Victory Challenge. After three attempts, racing finally got under way in very shifty winds. With a substantial lead off the line, the team extended their lead to put their first win comfortably in the bag.

Next up was Radich Racing Team who fought hard in the close battle for the lead, but with a miscommunication on board, they handed the victory to MRT by sailing to the wrong mark.

The race committee then managed to squeeze in one more race in the dying breeze. MRT faced Team Proximo, helmed by Ian Ainslie from South Africa. The team managed to hold onto a tight lead throughout the race, but a small shift favoured Team Proximo, and they stole the lead within metres of the finish line.

"We thought it was all over because they were so close to the line, but we had one last shot at it, and with a perfectly timed gybe we just squeezed back in front", said an elated Tudur Owen after the victory. "There must have been half a foot in it at the most, but we would have been really upset if we had lost it because we put everything into staying in front, not an easy task in today's conditions".

Mirsky Racing Team go trough to the Match Race France QF on top of the leaderboard

[Source: Mirsky Racing Team] After a long day on the water,, with seven races remaining in the round this morning, MRT stepped up to the plate and performed, dropping only two races against the two teams from Italy – Francesco Bruni’s Team Azzura and Team Italia skipperedby Paolo Cian.

With 7 of the best teams to choose from, MRT’s skipper selected to race Francesco Bruni in the first to three quarter finals.

"Obviously it was a very hard choice for us", said Kinley Fowler who has stepped in as the coach for this week, "but after studying all of the teams throughout the week I think we are best suited to Francesco’s style in these boats. Don’t get me wrong, they are amazingly talented sailors and it will be very tough, but hopefully we have made the right choice."

With Marseille playing host to all varieties of weather, tomorrow’s forecast is as easy to predict as the results of the quarter finals. Almost anything could happen.

Torvar Mirsky ends the round robin in perfect form. Marseille, 9 April 2010. Photo copyright Brendon O'Hagan/Subzero images

Great start for Mirsky Racing Team at Match Race France

Mirsky Racing Team hit the ground running in the opening event for the 2010 World Match Racing Tour, cementing 4 wins from 4 races in adverse conditions at Match Race France.

Match Race France, being held from Marseille, is known to be a tough regatta, with predominately strong Mediterranean winds, which keeps the worlds best match racers on edge.

The Mirsky Racing Team consists of the same members who finished runner up in the 2009 World Match Racing Tour, Torvar Mirsky of Australia (Helm), Kyle Langford of Australia (Main), Kinley Fowler of New Zealand (Trim), Tudur Owen of Wales (Pit) and Graeme Spence of Australia (Bow), whom all have the determination to go one better in 2010.

“It's great to start the 2010 WMRT, we have had a 4 month break since the finale in Malaysia and all we have been thinking about is getting back out on the water. Marseille is a tough venue, we are happy to come up with 4 wins today, in all of those races we came from behind to take victory, which is a boost in confidence. We still have to iron out some of the creases but it’s a solid start so far,” said Torvar Mirsky.

Mirsky Racing Team take the lead of the World MAtch Racing Tour

[Source: Mirsky Racing Team] Aarhus delivered the strongest winds of the week, with gusts blowing well above 20 knots, providing plenty of action for the spectators lining the rocks.

Narrowly qualifying for the finals over Mattias Rahm in a nail-biting 3-2 series which came to a dramatic close when Rahm incurred a penalty on the final upwind and, failing to wipe it, watched Torvar Mirsky sail through to race in the finals against Jes Gram Hansen.

The Danish local however, took it to a new level and dominated the series, winning 3 straight races.

“The starts were so important today, and Jes’ team had an edge over us in all three races. We fought hard, and often brought the game within distance, but they always held us off and they deserved to win.” Said skipper Torvar Mirsky after the day’s racing had come to an end. “…but we are leading the Tour now, so we are really happy! To make two finals in a row is excellent, and we hope to carry on this form in Bermuda next month.”

With the team jumping to new heights, leading the World Match Racing Tour, they can shift their focus onto the next two events which will be crucial for their hunt for the glory of being crowned as the World Match Racing Tour champions.

Mirsky Racing Team are now leading the World Match Racing Tour. Aarhus, 11 September 2009. Photo copyright Per Heegaard

Mirsky Racing Team smash into the Danish Open Semifinals

[Source: Mirsky Racing Team] After a full on day of racing, MRT are now sitting one up in the semi finals over Sweden’s Mattias Rahm.

MRT had to win 3 races from their remaining 6 of the round robin, which they just managed, putting them through to the semi finals. Tensions rose however in the final race of the round robin when there was a big collision with BlackMatch Racing in their heated duel, as the possibility of a half-point deduction loomed.

The boat was mostly unharmed however, and the Australian team cruised into the semi finals, along with Peter Gilmour (AUS), Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN) and Mattias Rahm (SWE).

Mirsky Racing Team crash into BlackMatch. Aarhus, 12 September 2009. Photo copyright JeffSpence

In typical crowd pleasing fashion, Gilmour chose to race local hero Jes Gram-Hansen who stood out as an early favourite in the event.

This left MRT with Mattias Rahm's Stena Bulk Racing Team who had won in their close round robin match, despite having lost their trimmer Oscar Angerwall to a head injury. The first race of the semi finals ran smoothly however, as the Australians started ahead and defended their lead through to the finishing line.

"Even without his trimmer, Mattias was hard to beat, we faced him in the finals of Match Cup Sweden last year where he beat us so it would be good continue on and get back on him tomorrow", said MRT bowman Graeme Spence after the long day on the water.

Tomorrow's racing will see the completion of the semi finals, 5th to 8th race offs, and eventually the crowning of the Danish Open champion.

Initial Semifinal Results:
Mirsky Racing Team, Torvar Mirsky (AUS) 1 - Stena Bulk Racing Team, Mattias Rahm (SWE) 0
Trifork Racing Team, Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN) 1 - Yanmar Racing, Peter Gilmour (AUS) 0