Top sailors in the world ranking, like Ian Williams (GBR), Paolo Cian (ITA) and Bjorn Hansen (SWE), secured this Thursday, April 24, without need for repechage, their classification for the quarterfinals of the Vitória Brasil Sailing Cup (www.vitoriabrasilsailingcup.com.br), opening stage of the 2008 season of the World Match Racing Tour, scheduled to end next Saturday, at the race course set up at Curva da Jurema, in the capixaba (*) capital. This Friday, April 25, at 10:00 a.m., the two last repechage rounds will be raced and, immediately afterwards, the quarterfinals, in a best-of-three series of regattas. The final should take place on Saturday.

Based on their classification in the first phase, the following sailors in group A moved on automatically to the quarterfinals: the British Ian Williams (5 wins), the Swedish Magnus Holmberg (4 wins / 1 defeat) and the Australian Torvar Mirsky (3 wins / 2 defeats). In group B the following advanced: Bjorn Hansen (4 wins / 1 defeat), Paolo Cian (4 wins / 1 defeat) and the Swedish Mattias Rahm (3 wins / 2 defeats). The duels in the quarterfinals will be as follows: Ian Williams X 2nd in the repechage; Paolo Cian X Tovar Mirsky; Magnus Holmberg X Mattias Rahm and Bjorn Hansen x 1st in the repechage.

Ian Williams is the only yachtsman still undefeated in the Vitória Brasil Sailing Cup, with five wins. But the current Tour champion tries to maintain the focus not to give his opponents any chances. “We have done everything right and sailed rather comfortably. But we cannot relax because any wrong decision will let the opponents come closer and we will lose the edge. All who are here have a high technical level,” said the British sailor, who is waiting for the result of the repechage to know his next opponent. “It is always dangerous to face someone coming from the repechage because they usually arrive with twice as much spirit, and more trained with the boat,” Ian emphasized.

If in the first phase the Danish Peter Wibroe had only won once, in the repechage he is undefeated, with three wins. Therefore, he is a candidate, together with the French Pierre-Antoine Morvan, to advance to the quarterfinals. “It was a great day. We felt we had solved the problems we had experienced on the first days - now we can control the boat. We were able to get pace and, if we confirm our classification, we will have trained much more than our opponents. Anyway, we are confident we can win, regardless of who will be our opponent (Ian Williams or Bjorn Hansen),” Wibroe stated.