Two teams racing to qualify for Monsoon Cup 2011

KUALA LUMPUR - 26 September 2011: The Malaysian Armed Forces teams are confident of doing well in the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC), to be held on 7-10 October at Pulau Duyong, Kuala Terengganu.

Since its inception in 2006, the Armed Forces have been sending two teams to compete in the MMRC. Skippers of the MAF1 and MAF2 teams, Mohd Zaidi Md.Amin and Mohd Masyuri Rahmat expressed confidence in their teams' abilities to do well in this year's edition.

"I selected the top racing sailors from all three divisions of the armed forces early this year, and since then we have been practising on the Farr Platu 25, a 25-foot sailing yacht available at the Lumut naval base," said Mohd Zaidi.

An avid sailor since 1995, he added that his crew members are fairly new to match racing and needed the hours to be equipped with the skills and understand the technicalities required to compete in Malaysian Match Racing Championship. "We have been training hard, sparring with the other Navy team, MAF2 skippered by Mohd Masyuri.

"We are putting in more practise time compared to last year, we have been prepping ourselves since early May for this year's Malaysian Match Racing Championship and after competing in the event for the past five years, I have come to realise that teamwork is the key to succeeding in this game," added Mohd Masyuri who sees Monsoon Cup Race Advisor Dato' Peter Gilmour as his inspiration to succeed.

No stranger to the MMRC, Mohd Masyuri feels he may have an advantage over first time skipper Mohd Zaidi. However he realises that defending champion Jeremy Koo and his team will be a force to reckon with, not to forget past champion Hazwan Hazim who will be back with a vengeance to better his 3rd place finish at the MMRC last year.

The Asian Match Racing Championship will follow the Malaysian Match Racing Championship on 12-15 October, with both winners automatically gaining a spot to compete in the Monsoon Cup, which is the final leg of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour circuit being held on 22-27 November, at the same venue in Terengganu.

About Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC)

Back in 2006, the Monsoon Cup was the first race to have a series of qualifiers to encourage the participation of young, upcoming local sailors in the professional match race scene. Those qualifiers were the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC) and the Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC).

From 4 teams at its inception in 2006, the Malaysian Match Racing Championship has now grown to have 13 local teams taking part in 2009. The winner will be the sole Malaysian representative at the Monsoon Cup, the final and deciding leg of the World Match Racing Tour. It is a chance to compete with the world's top match race sailors.

Malaysian Match Racing Championship Winners
2006: Tiffany Koo (MAS) – Team Selangor Gapurna 1 
2007: Tiffany Koo (MAS) – UK Halsey Gapurna 
2008: Nurul Ain Md Isa (MAS) – Perak Sailing Team 
2009: Hazwan Hazim (MAS) – Taring Pelangi 
2010: Jeremy Koo (MAS) – Koo Racing Team Evernew

About the Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC)

At its debut in 2006, the AMRC saw participation from five regional teams, including from Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong, racing in the world-class Pulau Duyong match race circuit, which is also the venue for the Monsoon Cup. 2009 year saw a massive increase in interest with over 30 international teams applying for a chance to compete. Now it has grown to include the participation of youths under 25 from around the globe.

Asian Match Racing Championship Winners
2006: Adam Minoprio (NZL) – BlackMatch Racing
2007: Adam Minoprio (NZL) – BlackMatch Racing
2008: Keith Swinton (AUS) – BlackSwan Racing
2009: Phil Robertson (NZL), Team New Zealand WAKA Racing
2010: Phil Robertson (NZL), Team New Zealand WAKA Racing