| GAETA, ITALY-(26-4-2004) On the second day of racing at the Audi Star Class World Championship a large wind shift on the penultimate leg of the race caught many sailors out, including Olympic gold medallist Iain Percy and crew Steve Mitchell.
Percy and Mitchell got off to a good start and rounded the top mark seventh in the 115 boat fleet. >From there they worked their way up into fifth place with Dutch sailors Mark Neeleman and Peter Van Niekerk leading the way.
Whilst lying in fourth place on the final beat, there was a large wind shift which many competitors thought was the sea breeze coming in. Team Percy Mitchell tacked over to the new breeze in order to gain an advantage over the fleet, but it did not pay off. The breeze died off and they were left watching many of the fleet sail around them, resulting in them finishing in 22nd place.
Neeleman and Van Niekerk maintained their lead over the fleet to win the race from European champions Fredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom of Sweden, with Peter Bromby and Lee White of Bermuda third.
After two races, Loof and Ekstrom have taken over the lead, with Neeleman and Van Niekerk in second place and double Olympic medallists Torben Grael and Marcel Ferreira of Brazil tied on equal points in third. Percy and Mitchell are currently lying in tenth place overall at this early stage in the championship.
The competitors have another day of racing tomorrow, before enjoying a lay day on Wednesday. A total of six races are scheduled for the championship which concludes on the 1 May.
Further information about the world championship can be found on the event website www.starworld2004.com.
Results (day 2)
1, Fredrik Loof/Anders Ekstrom, SWE (3,2) 5 pts
2, Mark Neeleman/Peter Van Niekerk, NED (10,1) 11 pts
3, Torben Grael/Marcel Ferreira, BRA (7,4) 11 pts
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