Ben Ainslie (GBR, TEAMORIGIN) took on locals Mathieu Richard (FRA, French Match Racing Team) in the finals of Match Race France, stage one of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT). Richard took a convincing victory winning both of the final two matches raced under a testing 6-7 knot westerly.

Ainslie sees the time he invests in WMRT events as a profitable way to keep his match race training fresh: “My ultimate goal for the ISAF World Match Racing Tour events is to improve my match racing skills and rules knowledge”. The Tour forms an important part of Ainslie’s long term America’s Cup ambition with TEAMORIGIN.

Stage 2 of the WMRT will be run in Langenargen, Germany between 19 – 24 May.

Overall Standings After Stage 1:

1. Mathieu Richard, FRA, French Match Racing Team, 25 points

2. Ben Ainslie, GBR, TEAMORIGIN, 20

3. Francesco Bruni, ITA, Azzurra, 15
4. Paolo Cian, ITA, Team Italia, 12

5. Sebastien Col, FRA, ALL4ONE, 10

6. Adam Minoprio, NZL, ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, 8
7. Philippe Presti, FRA, 6
8. Torvar Mirsky, AUS, Mirsky Racing Team, 4
9. Pierre-Antoine Morvan, FRA
10. Bertrand Pace, FRA, Aleph Sailing Team
11. Peter Gilmour, AUS, YANMAR Racing

12. Gian Luca Perris, MON

For more, visit www.wmrt.com