Ian Williams Talks To Sportsvibe Ahead Of The Alpari World Match Racing Tour, Where He Could Enter The Record Books
Four time World Match Racing Champion Ian Williams will be aiming to enter the history books as the person to have claimed the world title the most times in the ChampionshipÛªs 27 year history.
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Victory at the final event of the 2014 Alpari World Match Racing Tour, the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia, shall see Williams surpass Australian Peter GilmourÛªs record number of four wins (in 1990, 1997, 1998 and 2006).
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Williams, a former solicitor, believes that the potential breaking of the record has to stay at the back of his mind.
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ÛÏIts something you try not to think about too much. ItÛªs a case of just getting on with it and not thinking about it too much.Û
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Only two years ago, Ian Williams missed out narrowly on etching his name in the record books after finishing five points shy of US Virgin Island skipper Taylor Canfield and his US One team. This yearÛªs Championship however, is a different story.
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Although Williams finished five points shy of his closest rival Taylor Canfield and his US One team, he is determined to clinch the record this time around.
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ÛÏI donÛªt think itÛªs hard to bounce back. When you are so close it makes u more determined to come back and try and make sure you finish the job this time. Obviously weÛªve got off to a good start, a very good year so far, but we still need to finish the job off.Û
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Once again, WilliamsÛª main rival is Canfield but this time around Williams enters the final event with a six-point advantage over his rival. Unfortunately it doesnÛªt represent much of a cushion, as Williams will have to finish within a place of Canfield to secure his fifth World Championship title.
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ÛÏA one place cushion is quite a small cushion. I think its very much going to come down to how we all perform this weekend.Û
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Mathematically, as it stands any of the top five crews could win this yearÛªs Alpari World Match Racing Tour. Williams, alongside the other four skippers in contention shall be fighting for a prize fund of US$ 100,000 for the World Championship, US$ 80,000 for the second placed finisher and the rest of the prize money on a diminishing scale to all eight Tour Card skippers. For the Monsoon Cup itself there is also substantial prize money on offer with a prize of US$ 86,750.
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Grand finale of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour will take place at the Monsoon Cup from 10 – 14 February 2015.
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Global Logistics provider GAC sponsors Ian Williams and his GAC Pindar crew. For more information about GAC, visit GAC.com.
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