match game
Now the Best?
From our bros with Mirsky Racing….
In front of the home crowd in Perth, MRT defeated triple Gold Medallist Ben Ainslie in straight sets to win the Sunseeker Australia
Cup in a fairytale ending, despite a week plagued by injuries and a tough pick which almost saw the local favourites knocked out
early.
The Sunseeker Australia Cup took place after an 8 year hiatus in front of the City of Perth, acting as a warm up event to the World Tour final
in Malaysia being held this week. It boasted an exceptional line up with many teams taking full advantage of the Foundation 36’s which are
also used in the Monsoon Cup.
The Mirsky Racing Team lead the first stage, and with the power to pick they chose to race Francesco Bruni and his Team Azzura who came
to Perth fresh off their win at the Louis Vuitton series raced in Nice.
After two races, this looked to be a detrimental decision, as they were down two races with no lives to spare. When all hope looked to be
lost, the locals turned the heat on and came back with three straight wins.
“We have never come back like that, being two wins down” said tactician Kyle Langford after the team came through. “Although it put a lot
of pressure on us, it was really perfect training for the Monsoon Cup because we are going to be under the pump the whole time here.”
The final day was raced in front of a fleet of spectator boats who lined the course to get as close to the action as they could. The team chose
to race the other local hero Keith Swinton, which would guarantee a Perth team in the final and despite a strong fight by Black Swan Racing,
MRT went through to face the strong favourites Ben Ainslie and his Team Origin.
With an injury and the Monsoon Cup in mind, MRT’s trimmer Kinley Fowler stepped off the boat for the final series, but with Azzura’s highly
experienced trimmer Pierre Luigi stepping on board, they had no trouble getting into stride.
With the local crowd behind them, they took out the series 2-0 in the perfect lead up to the World Tour final. With only 12 points standing
between them and BlackMatch Racing, this year’s World Champion could well be the youngest in its history. Photo: Greg Hocking – Sunseeker Australia Cup
Follow the team’s progress at the Monsoon Cup on www.mirskyracingteam.net
Kinley Fowler
MIRSKY RACING TEAM
