2011-06-01 10:41 
LONDON, June 1, 2011
/PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The World Match Racing Tour today
unveiled the seven officially approved new boat designs which will
be made available to the Tour's host venues. The designs form a key
part of the series' wider development plan which will see a further
six new venues added to its current calendar of eight regattas by
2013.
The concepts were conceived and
developed by pioneering boat design houses from around the world
and are the result of a hard-fought competition to become one of
the limited number of Tour approved boat designs. The new host
venues will each pick the boat design that best fits their needs
while existing venues will also be encouraged to update their fleet
with one of the new designs.
The designers were presented with a
tough brief, namely to create a robust, cost-effective boat that is
capable of delivering exciting, tactical and fiercely-fought racing
across a range of conditions, from variable winds to differing
depths and unpredictable currents. The designers were further
challenged by the fact the boats need to test performance sailors
yet be versatile enough for corporate and club sailors to give
venues a diversified income from them.
Terry Newby of Regatta
International, who oversaw the submission of designs,
said: "The World Match Racing Tour is delighted with the
huge response it received to this brief and the fact it attracted
some of the world's best boat designers reflects the status of the
Tour. Each finalist has shown a real understanding of the series'
strategic requirements and has produced a multipurpose design that
will be an asset to both new and existing venues who invest in one
of these designs."
Hailing from the US, Russia, Europe
and Australasia, the talented roster of designers includes: Fred
Barrett, Roberto Biscontini, Adrien Jousset, Andrej Justin, Phil
Kaiko, Vladimir Murnikov and Christian Stimson. Swedish designer
Pelle Petterson's MR40 design, which is based on his original SM40
boat that was created specifically for the Tour in 2005, is also
amongst the designs being put forward to new and current host
venues. The designers boast decades of experience in high-end boat
design, including designs for the America's Cup and Volvo Ocean
Race. Each designer is aware that an agreement with one of the
World Match Racing Tour's event promoters will give them the best
possible shop window in which to showcase their design.
Given the international status of
the Tour, each designer has created concepts that can be tailored
to the needs of more than one venue. Slovenian designer Andrej
Justin has offered three different lengths of boat, while America's
Cup veteran Phil Kaiko submitted a Lego-like construction which can
be adapted to suit varying local weather conditions and a wide
range of skill levels.
With collisions an inevitable part
of the close-quarter match racing circuit, the likes of Italian
designer Roberto Biscontini proposed a boat that, if damaged, would
not be laid up for long and would not require highly-paid
specialists to repair it.
Of equal importance is the aesthetic
appeal of the boats, something UK emigre Christian Stimson believes
is vital if the Tour is to continue to attract media coverage and
sponsors. He also stresses the importance of on-board camera
positions to deliver fantastic video content to the Tour's global
fanbase, a view shared by Adrien Jousset: "Sailing needs
to be more exciting to have better media. The World Match Racing
Tour is now a great opportunity to inject that
excitement."
To control costs most designers have
gone for shorter boats except for Vladimir Murnikov's 48-footer,
the MX Match, which incorporates a revolutionary bow system that he
is also employing on his SpeedDream project.
The brief gave designers the
opportunity to make their mark in match racing and for Tasmania's
Fred Barrett it's allowed him to channel a lifetime's passion and
experience into his own distinctive design.
Regatta International's Newby
added: "We expect everyone to benefit. The designers will
increase their profile while the Tour's venues will be associated
with world class sailors using the very latest match racing boats.
For the Tour, it will continue to affirm its position to fans,
broadcast partners and sponsors as the arena for exciting,
innovative and compelling match racing."
"Two potential host cities for a
Tour event are already in deep discussions with their selected
designers for their proposed events in 2012. With the number of
potential host cities growing all the time, I expect the bidding
for the available spots to be hard fought. It is also pleasing to
see the level of interest from other outstanding venues which are
planning ahead past the 2012 and 2013 seasons."
To view details of all the
individual designs including biographies on each of the winning
designers, visithttp://www.wmrt.com/boats.html
Download full presentation
here:http://www.wmrt.com/gallery/albums/userpics/wmrtimages/newboatdesigns/wmrt-boat-design-final-v4a.pdf
For more information on WMRT, please
contact:
Audrey Lakai
Communications Department
Tel: +60-12-502-2206
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE World Match Racing Tour