DENMARK’S
GRAM-HANSEN MAINTAINS GRIP ON SWEDISH MATCH TOUR
RANKINGS
STAMFORD,
CT (April 29, 2003) – Denmark’s Jes
Gram-Hansen and Team Victory Lane have opened
up a 19 point lead on fellow countryman Jesper
Radich in the Swedish Match Tour 2002/2003 Rankings
following a sixth place finish at the Congressional
Cup, the fifth of nine events on the Swedish Match
Tour.
Disappointingly
for Radich, he and his crew finished ninth overall
at the Congressional Cup and failed to add any
points to their Swedish Match Tour Rankings total.
“It
was important for us to go out and extend our
lead over Jesper,” said Gram-Hansen. “Looking
forward on the Swedish Match Tour, we feel good
with how we’re sailing especially going
to the big boats (IMX 40s) that they use at the
Elba Cup.”
Australia’s
James Spithill posted a third place finish in
his return to the Swedish Match Tour, following
his turn as helmsman for the OneWorld Challenge
at last fall’s Louis Vuitton Cup. The 15
points Spithill received put him solely in third
place, ahead of Great Britian’s Chris Law
and “The Outlaws,” with whom he had
been tied entering the regatta.
American
Ken Read and his Saucony Racing team, winners
of the Congressional Cup, reentered the Rankings
in fifth place, two points behind Law and five
points ahead of the sixth place skipper, and fellow
American, Ed Baird of Team Musto, who spent the
last several months in Auckland, NZ, as a television
commentator at the America’s Cup.
In
seventh place is New Zealand’s Gavin Brady
of Team Beau Geste, runner-up at the Congressional
Cup, while Sweden’s Mattias Rahm of Team
Stena Bulk hangs on to the eighth spot.
The
Swedish Match Tour awards points to the top eight
finishers at each event, counting the accumulated
best seven-of-nine finishes to determine the final
Swedish Match Tour Rankings. In addition to more
than US$800,000 in individual event prize money,
the Swedish Match Tour awards US$200,000 to the
top eight sailors on the Swedish Match Tour, with
the first-place skipper netting US$60,000.
The
Swedish Match Tour 2002/2003 Champion will be
crowned following the year’s final event
at the Swedish Match Cup prize giving ceremony
on Sunday, July 6 on the island of Marstrand,
Sweden.
The
next event on Swedish Match Tour 2002/2003 is
the Toscana Elba Cup – Trofeo Locman, May
10-18. For all the latest news from the Swedish
Match Tour’s Congressional Cup visit www.swedishmatchtour.com.
SWEDISH
MATCH TOUR 2002/2003 RANKINGS
Skipper
Points
1.Jes Gram-Hansen, DEN/Team Victory Lane 72
2.Jesper Radich, DEN/Team Radich 53
3. James Spithill, OneWorld Challenge 46
4. Chris Law, GBR/”The Outlaws” 37
5. Ken Read, USA/Saucony Racing 35
6. Ed Baird, USA/Team Musto 30
7. Gavin Brady, NZ/Team Beau Geste 28
8. Mattias Rahm, SWE/Team Stena Bulk 26
About
the Swedish Match Tour
·
The Swedish Match Tour is comprised of nine of
the world's leading professional sailing events
and is proving to be the ultimate battleground
of sailing.
· In addition to more than US$800,000 in
individual event prize money, the Swedish Match
Tour awards US$200,000 to the top eight sailors
on the Swedish Match Tour, with the first-place
skipper netting US$60,000.
· In addition to a US$60,000 first prize,
the winner of the Swedish Match Tour receives
the official Swedish Match Tour Championship Trophy,
15" (30 cm) high with 22 carat gold gilding,
produced by Swedish Match Tour sponsor Wedgwood.
Additionally, Wedgwood supplies runner-up prizes
for second and third places as well as commemorative
plaques to each event organizer.
· The Swedish Match Tour produces 155 hours
of television coverage reaching more than 426
million households worldwide annually.
· Swedish Match Tour partners include Swedish
Match, Octagon and the Match Race Association.
· Swedish Match Tour sponsors include Colorcraft,
Champagne
Mumm, Musto and Wedgwood.
