Leaders begin to emerge at the 2024 WMRT Shenzhen Bao’an final
The 2024 World Match Racing Tour Shenzhen Bao’an Final continued today with variable conditions testing teams throughout the day. Eleven flights of the round-robin have been completed, with Chris Poole’s Riptide Racing (USA) leading the standings with six wins. Close behind are Johnie Berntsson’s Berntsson Sailing Team (SWE), Cole Tapper’s CYCA (AUS), and Ian Garreta (FRA), each with five wins.
With six flights left in the round-robin, the fight for the top positions remains tight. The top four teams will advance directly to the quarter-finals, while teams ranked fifth through twelfth will compete in a repechage round to secure the remaining four quarterfinal spots.
A morning of light breeze saw racing kick off around 1215 local time, forecasted to build slowly through the day. Teams had to adapt quickly as the shifty breeze created demanding conditions once again for day two before settling in on a northerly breeze at the end of the day.
Chris Poole commented on his position atop the leaderboard. “We had a good day—two races and two more wins to our scorecard. We were focused on improving a few small things from yesterday, and we think we’ve achieved that. We have a few more things to work on, but we will keep chipping away. There are still a few more races in the round-robin, so we’re using those races to improve and get ready for the quarter-finals.”
“We’re happy where we are, amongst the top of the leaderboard,” commented Johnie Berntsson after day two. “But it’s going to be a fight tomorrow for the quarters. Tomorrow’s races are important, including a race against the local skipper Sheng Shen. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Ian Williams (GBR), a seven-time World Match Racing Champion, acknowledged the competitive field and tricky conditions over the last two days. “We feel a little bit of heat, it was nice to get a win on the board. We’re hanging in there, learning as much as we can and are looking forward to the racing tomorrow.”
Racing will resume tomorrow at 1000 local time, with teams vying for a spot in the quarter-finals.
