Britain’s Ian Williams wins German match racing grand prix

A win in the German match racing grand prix gave a flying start to the defending champion, Britain’s Ian Williams, and a boost to his Team GAC Pindar campaign to win a record five world titles on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour.

The fickle winds which have plagued the event on Lake Constance meant a sudden death 1-0 victory for Williams against New Zealand’s Adam Minoprio and the third place decider went the same way for France’s Mathieu Richard against Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson.

The finals were staged in very light winds off Langenargen while on earlier days there had been testing conditions of up to 25 knots.

“This was not an easy regatta,” said Williams. “But this is an important win and the crew had to be at its sharpest. It is also a valuable morale-boost as we now head for Korea.”