IRSA Press Release
2016 IRSA Marblehead World Championship Italy, Brad Gibson GBR gets the hat trick.
Limone sul Garda / Italy, October 1st, 2016. After a week of tough sailing in Limone / Lake Garda the 2016 (2014, 2012) Marblehead World Champion is Brad Gibson. The model of consistency, Brad was never ruffled or fazed by the conditions and competitors and managed to combine quality racing with his usual top quality socializing. Well done Brad! Thanks to the hosts and members of North West Garda Sailing for their great effort and hospitality.
After 5 days of racing in a variety of conditions, Brad Gibson has been crowned the 2016 Marblehead class World Champion here in Limone del Garda. The result for Brad makes this 3 in a row - hat trick, a feat only bettered by fellow GBR skipper Graham Bantock who despite a late charge, just fell short of runner up, with that honour going to Italian Matteo Longhi.
The World Championship was organized by IRSA and the Italian "Vela Club Campione". The team led by Virginio Boglietti, Renato Bolis, Matteo Longhi and Gerd Mentges with help from the team of North West Garda Sailing did a great job. Thanks for the work also to Pierre Gonnet our unwavering race officer and last but not least the umpires around Gordon Davies and Chris Atkins (Vice President at World Sailing).
At halftime we had a tight battle between Brad Gibson GBR only one point ahead of Matteo Longhi ITA and another three points clear of Marc Pomerade FRA. With Yannik Rossignol FRA, Graham Bantock GBR, Lincoln Mc Dowall AUS and Chris Harris GBR all in contention with 15 points separating them from first, it was all to play for in the last two days of racing. On the last two days Graham Bantock was able to change the order with consistent sailing achieving top 3 places and getting the better of Marc Pomerade FRA who slipped back to 4th by one point but not quiet able to match Matteo Longhi ITA who took a well deserved runner up spot. Of the rest some may have hoped for a little more but across the board all enjoyed the experience and will be back for more in Germany 2018. The Top Sailors (Designs) are: 1. Brad Gibson GBR 42 (Grunge)
Page 1 Marblehead class World Champion in 2012, 2014 and now 2016 achieved the hat trick with his internationally and nationally undefeated Design "Grunge".
2. Matteo Longhi – ITA 24 (Nioutram) Put the maximum pressure on Brad Gibson at the top. Sometimes a little too quiet and fair racing the newly design "Nioutram" by Marc Pomerade from France.
3. Graham Bantock GBR 95 (Quark) Second at the World Championships in 2012, 2014 and now third in 2016. Sailing his own design "Quark".
4. Marc Pomerade FRA 44 (Nioutram) The developer of the "Nioutram" racing his own design at the front of the fleet, archiving good results with the predecessor "Tramontan" the new design seems a good step forward.
5. Darin Ballington GBR 98 (Grunge) 6. Chris Harris GBR 21 (Starkers) 7. Yannik Rossignol FRA 22 (Nioutram) 8. Robert Walsh GBR 25 (F-3) 9. Laurent Gerbeaud FRA 71 (Quark) 10. Ante Kovacevic CRO 9 (Quark)
Full Result List: http://worlds2016.marbleheadclass.org/results/full-result More information can be found on the event website at: http://worlds2016.marbleheadclass.org For more information on the Radio Sailing and the World Championships visit: www.radiosailing.org About IRSA the International Radio Sailing Association IRSA is the worldwide radio sailing organization and an Affiliated Member of World Sailing. IRSA is dedicated to the enhancement of both current and emerging world radio sailing classes through the promotion and development of consistent class rules, measurement methods, radio yachting racing rules, and advice in running major racing events.
About North West Garda Sailing North West Garda Sailing was born in January 2016 but with a story behind 48 years old done by the two founding clubs: Vela Club Campione born in 1986 and Circolo Vela Limone born in 1998. Neighbors and last frontiers of the Brescian side of Garda lake, Campione and Limone always consulting to organize events taking advantage of the always present north Garda wind and the great offered tourist hospitality by municipality of Tremosine and
Page 2 Limone sul Garda. North West Garda Sailing has got the ambition to be an open at all sailing club with international breath. NWGS targets are two and very clear at all: • To organize events to promote sailing sport tourism in the brescian high Garda region • To promote sport of sailing thanks to a school fair and open at all, helping everyone would like to practice sailing A partnership that can count on two windy nautical bases: Campione and Limone sul Garda and keeps faith to its values: friendship, solidarity, loyalty, courage, commitment.
About Radio Sailing The sailors on the shore control the boats using a radio transmitter. They can control the rudder for steering and the positions of the sails to keep the boat moving in the wind. These are usually keelboats with most of the boat’s mass in the bulb deep in the water under the boats. The heavy weight helps keep them upright even when sailing in strong winds. Events will be sailed und the Racing Rules of Sailing with special attention to Appendix E for radio-controlled boats. The courses are usually upwind and downwind with a length of up to 300 meters.
About the Marblehead Class The International Marblehead (M) class is probably the most exciting to sail with its moderate size and light weight combined with high maneuverability and stability. Essentially a box rule with minimal constraints. A modern M will usually be made almost entirely of carbon fiber - hull, foils, spars and fittings. The class was the first to adopt hi tech construction in the early 90s and development since then has been limited. This permits almost all boats built since then to be compete well in modern fleets. The class is quite often referred to as the "Formula One" of radio sailing. Hull length 1.3 m Displacement 4.5 to 5.5 kg Draught 660 mm Sail area 0.5161 m²
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