BEIJING OLYMPIC CHAMPION EYES MONSOON CUP CROWN

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year and
Olympic champion Ben Ainslie regarded as the "Michael Schumacher" of sailing
will have the world match racing's Monsoon Cup trophy firmly in his sights when
he heads to Malaysia in three weeks.

The Monsoon Cup will be the ninth and final event on the 2008 World Match
Racing Tour (WMRT) where 12 of the best match racing teams meet on the waters
off Terengganu in Malaysia from Dec 3-7 at the world class sailing venue in
Pulau Duyong.

Holding aloft the Monsoon Cup Trophy would cap off an incredible 12 months
for this sailor who not surprisingly is referred to by many of his peers as the
'Michael Schumacher' of sailing.

Ainslie's phenomenal results in the Finn and Laser classes are legendary,
especially his five world championship titles, three gold, one silver Olympic
medals and three ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year awards.

Though Ainslie does not carry enough tour points to be in the running for
the 2008 ISAF WMRT trophy, or at least not for this year, his third place finish
in the King Edward VII Gold Cup should provide a clear warning to the other
Monsoon Cup skippers that his Team Origin are more than capable of winning the
event.


After a highly-successful Olympic campaign in August, Ainslie headed
straight to the WMRT to compete in the King Edward VII Gold Cup in Bermuda
(October) with his crew Iain Percy, Matt Cornwell and Christian Kamp with Team
Origin and finished a commendable third behind Johnie Berntsson (SWE), Adam
Minoprio (NZL) and ahead of current WMRT leader Ian Williams (fifth), Sebastian
Col (seventh) and Mathieu Richard (eighth).

In reflecting his team's results, Ainslie in a statement said: "we were
coming back into match racing after a long lay-off due to my Olympic commitments
and really didn't know what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised by how good
the team dynamics were."

His first foray into match racing was as a member of the One World
Challenge after his 2000 Olympic campaign and then tested the America's Cup
waters again in 2004 joining the Emirates Team New Zealand for the 32nd
America's Cup before turning his focus back to his Olympic campaign for the
Beijing Olympics in 2008.

"Since we did not compete in many WMRT events, we have a very low ranking,
but I hope our ranking will not be a true indication of our true ability," said
Ainslie.



In Pulau Duyong, he and his team will be up against current tour leader,
defending Monsoon Cup skipper and fellow countryman, Williams, both hail from
Britain.

Ainslie will be heading to Malaysia via New Zealand where he will compete
in the New Zealand Match Racing Championship from Nov 25-30, alongside Dean
Barker, Rod Davis and fellow Monsoon Cup skipper, Adam Minoprio.

A win in the 2008 Monsoon Cup would provide Ainslie and his Team Origin a
great springboard for the 2009 Tour which they intend "doing properly next
year" as part of their preparation for the 33rd America's Cup, proposed for
2010.

Meanwhile, WMRT points leader and Monsoon Cup favourite Williams said: "I
think it's great for the Tour to have somebody like Ben competing on it.
Obviously his focus now is on the America's Cup, if and when it gets back
going. Its a good way for him to learn the match racing skills that you require
for the America's Cup."

It would also be nice for us to have another British team on the tour,
added Williams.

Pulau Duyong is an island in the mouth of Terengganu River in the east
coast state of Terengganu, Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA