Kressbronn/Langenargen. The organisers are expecting the best field of participants ever for the seventh edition of Germany's most prestigious match race from 8 to 13 June.
It is quite possible that six or more America's Cup campaigns of the 31st Cup edition 2002/ 2003 will show up on Lake Constance. "This puts us finally in line with the really big match races in the world," says organisation boss Eberhard Magg (Speedwave Rudi Magg/ Kressbronn), delighted with the overwhelming initial response to the invitation to tender, "the interest shown by the stars of the scene symbolises the fruits of our years of work and will help us to continue Match Race Germany at the highest level."
The organisers of the Swedish Match Tour and Match Race Germany organiser Eberhard Magg have received letters of intent from Peter Gilmour (AUS/skipper OneWorld), Magnus Holmberg (SWE/steersman Victory Challenge), Karol Jablonski (POL/number one in the match race world rankings; designated helmsman Toskana Challenge), Bertrand Pacé (FRA/ex-tactician Team New Zealand; co-initiator Team France for the 32nd America's Cup), Luc Pillot and Philippe Presti (FRA/ex-steersman Prada Challenge; now Oracle BMW Racing). America's Cup), Gavin Brady (NZL/Ex helmsman Prada Challenge; now Oracle BMW Racing), Luc Pillot and Philippe Presti (FRA/both Le Défi). In addition, the two Danes Jesper Radich and Jes Gram-Hansen, number two and number twelve in the match race world rankings, will be joining them. Plus Frenchman Mathieu Richard, number four in the world rankings. Meanwhile, the Australian America's Cup campaign Oz Boyz Challenge is also endeavouring to secure an invitation. Eberhard Magg and his partner Haral Thierer (Visioneo) are spoilt for choice: "We have ten starting places to allocate to the international teams and are already looking forward to a world-class field!"
Karol Jablonski, who has led the match race world rankings for more than a year, is looking forward to his comeback on Lake Constance after his last start in 2002: "It will be exciting, because the rock stars of the scene are coming. The initial question is not who will win, but rather which of these good people could finish last ..." In Jablonski's last outing in Match Race Germany, a broken mast thwarted a possible victory for the successful Pole. "I hope we have less bad luck this time." Jablonski, who won the Admiral's Cup with the German team in 1993, has no problem with the sometimes very light winds on Lake Constance: "I see myself as an all-round sailor. As is so often the case in match racing, winning the Match Race Germany will also be a question of form on the day and nerves of steel."
One team makes it through: Super chance for German teams
Two further starting places have been reserved for the winner of the German qualifier on 5 and 6 June and Markus Wieser (Starnberg/Palma des Mallorca) as the winner of the match race in Berlin. For the first time, the German match race elite and ambitious junior teams have been invited to qualify on the weekend before Match Race Germany. "We want to motivate young German talent with this additional event, because where else do young match racers have the opportunity to meet the stars and exchange ideas with them. We also see ourselves as a contact exchange for up-and-coming talent. If we want qualified sailors for Germany, then we also have to give them the chance to compete." For the most successful German team, a dream will come true on 6 June: they will be able to compete against the best match race skippers in the world in Match Race Germany. Hamburg journalist and two-time German Match Race Champion Carsten Kemmling is the favourite for the preliminary round: "It would of course be even more difficult for us to compete against the world's elite in five-man boats, as I normally start with a well-coordinated three-man team. But it's an exciting challenge in any case."
The Hamburg junior crew of helmsman Jan-Eike Andresen has even declared the German pre-qualification as the new season goal for the year: "The idea of giving the German teams a chance like this is super cool and opens up a whole new perspective for our sport. We will draw motivation from this for the whole season." The 22-year-old law student would like to break into the top 20 of the match race world rankings with his young team within the next two years: "Of course, like all sailors, we dream of a German America's Cup campaign. But as there are currently no signs of this, at least publicly, we are focussing on the international match race circuit for the time being." Like all other participants in the German preliminary round, Andresen has a double chance: as the winner, his team would enter Match Race Germany with the associated wild card. The runners-up, on the other hand, will be allowed to strengthen ten international teams in Match Race Germany with one crew member each. In this way, the organisers want to give the German sailors an even better opportunity to make contact with the stars.
This year's Match Race Germany will be sailed on brand-new boats from the Bavaria Match Series. The organising club is the Yacht-Club Langenargen e.V. The matches will take place directly in front of Langenargen's picture-book promenade. The organisers are once again expecting around 25,000 spectators over the eight days of racing.
