ISAF World Match Race Rankings

Peter GILMOUR (AUS) continues his unbroken run in the top spot this year, with victory at the ISAF Grade 1 Locman Cup - Elba Island the latest success for his PST team. That win rounded off a completely dominant display in the 2005-2006 World Match Racing Tour, where the Australian skipper ended up with almost double the points of his nearest challenger Ian WILLIAMS (GBR). Victory in the World Tour also meant GILMOUR lifted his fourth ISAF Match Racing World Championship Trophy.

Chris DICKSON (NZL) claimed victory in the other major event in the latest Rankings’ period, beating GILMOUR in the semi-final on his way to lifting the ISAF Grade 1 Portugal Match Cup. That win sees the BMW ORACLE Racing skipper move up five places to eleventh, and he is the only skipper in the top 20 only counting seven of a possible eight events. The other major change in the top 20 sees Martin ANGSELL (SWE) as a new entry at 19, moving up from 26 after winning the ISAF Grade 4 GSYS Match 2.

Aussie One Two
Back at the top, Luna Rossa’s James SPITHILL (AUS) maintains his second place, whilst Frenchman Sébastien COL (FRA) moves up to occupy the World number three spot. Consequently Italy’s Paolo CIAN (ITA) falls to fourth as part of the rolling Ranking calculation, whilst WILLIAMS remains fifth. Russia’s Eugeniy NEUGODNIKOV moves up two places to seven after winning Russia a spot at the ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final after victory at the ISAF Grade 2 Regional Final for Europe 1 in Finland.

The other Nations Cup action in this Rankings’ period saw Portuguese 470 star Álvaro MARINHO (POR) win the ISAF Grade 2 Regional Final for Europe 2 in Slovenia. This boosts him up from 205 to Portugal’s highest ranked sailor at 109.

After a strong performance that saw him reach the semi-finals in Portugal, Jes GRAM-HANSEN (DEN) is the highest of four new entries into the top 50, going from 67 to 41 and still counting just seven events. Just outside the top 50, Germany’s Sven-Erik HORSCH scored victory on his home waters at the ISAF Grade 3 Alster Match Race Act 3 to climb from 89 to 57.