Ian Williams arrives in St. Moritz at the Badrutt's Palace in his Lotus Evora PHOTO: Andy Carter / AWMRT
Reigning Tour Champion, Ian Williams will be disappointed with his exit at the Qualifying stage of the St. Moritz Match Race but at least has the consolation of taking one of the most spectacular drives in the world back to the UK.
The 12-hour drive is over 1,000km and descends to sea level from Lake St. Moritz at 1,775m altitude, encompassing roads which wind through the Eastern Alps valley of Engadine, through Switzerland and France, before arriving in the UK.
The three-time ISAF Match Racing World Champion was awarded a new Lotus Evora S-IPS as part of his prize for winning the 2011 Tour, courtesy of Performance Automotive Partner, Lotus. He took the opportunity to drive the impressive sports car down to Switzerland for the fifth stage of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour and will now take to the mountain roads once again.
When Williams travelled to Lotus Cars’ Global Headquarters in Norfolk, to take delivery, he said: “The World Championship title is what every sailor strives for but this is certainly some welcome icing on the cake. It was an incredibly tough season last year when no single team, all of them world class, dominated so to come out on top and claim our third title was a defining moment in our sailing careers.
“We’re now fully focussed on this season ahead – it’s just a shame I can’t drive to all the regattas!”
The prize is part of an ongoing partnership with Lotus Cars for 2012 which sees the iconic international sports car brand become the Official Performance Automotive Partner to the Tour.
| F | SF | QF | QR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FINAL | |||||
| Ian Williams | .png&w=20) |
1-0 | 3-2 | 0-0 | 9-2 |
| Adam Minoprio |  |
0-1 | 3-1 | 3-2 | 6-5 |
| PETIT FINAL | |||||
| Mathieu Richard |  |
1-0 | 1-3 | 3-1 | 8-3 |
| Johnie Berntsson |  |
0-1 | 2-3 | 3-2 | 6-5 |
Terengganu is one of Malaysia’s east coast states, endowed with natural wealth, exotic islands and pristine beaches and crystal clear waters, quaint traditional villages and a heritage of culture and history. It has a land area of 12,995sq kilometres and 225 kilometres of coastline. Terengganu has a population of around 1million, while Malaysia has a population of 28million.
The venue of the Monsoon Cup – Pulau Duyong is the ideal setting for this match race, where international sailing enthusiasts and visitors will be able to enjoy the excitement and competition in the Cup, in addition to experiencing the myriad of cultural, culinary and tourist activities that are abound in Terengganu.
Now in its seventh year, the Monsoon Cup has gained prominent status on the World Tour, winning the “Best Event” status twice. It offers the highest prize purse on the Tour, MYR 1.475million (approx USD 475,000), with the winner set to earn MYR 310,000 (approx USD100,000)
The economic objectives include making the Monsoon Cup a catalyst for development in the state and to create economic opportunities in services and manufacturing sectors related to the event. Among them are hotels, tourism, restaurants, boat-making, food supplies, textiles and souvenirs. With daily live telecasts and highlights through its affiliated broadcasters, Media Prima, ESPN and EuroSports, the brand is expected to reach a potential viewership of more than 1.6 billion all over the world.
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