Not Farr Away

Chicago, IL, USA: The 15th edition of the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship will take place in Chicago, United States, from 17-20 September 2012.

The pinnacle of the Farr 40 Class worldwide racing season, the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds is a contest between evenly matched 40-foot racing boats, helmed by their skilled and competitive amateur owners and guided by world-renowned tacticians. First run in 1998 and supported by Rolex since 2001, the competition is held in a different country each year, a measure of its international status. Exhilarating racing is guaranteed. Up to ten windward/leeward races will be contested over four days – short, fast and of the highest pedigree.

The Farr 40 Class Rules require an amateur owner to helm or drive the boat, and allow the inclusion of up to four professional sailors among the usual 10-strong crew, the remainder being Corinthian competitors. The competing yachts are virtually identical, required to comply with the strict one design rules, ensuring the emphasis is focused on the team who sails best.

As a number of the owner/drivers are significant figures in business, the event provides a unique meeting of the corporate and sporting worlds. Compatibility between the exigent owner and driven tactician is essential as the triumphant crew is usually the one that gels most cohesively in high-pressure sailing conditions: a true test of team spirit.

Last year’s event, held in Sydney, Australia, witnessed four spectacular days of racing, with Guido Belgiorno Nettis’s Transfusion (AUS) narrowly beating the 2010 victors – Massimo Mezzaroma and Antonio Sodo Migliori’s Nerone (ITA) – to claim the 2011 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship title. Professional tacticians of the calibre of 2010 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Tom Slingsby, Olympic medallists Tom King and John Kostecki, and three-time America’s Cup winner Grant Simmer all brought their expertise to the contest.

This year the event returns to the United States for the first time since 2008, when it was held in Miami. With three victories each, Vincenzo Onorato’s Mascalzone Latino (ITA) (2006, 2007 and 2008) and Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad (USA) (1998, 2004 and 2009) hold the record number of victories at the Worlds. Barking Mad and defending champion Transfusion are expected to take part in this year’s edition, joining a fleet of over 20 boats from seven countries.

The 2012 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship is organized by the Farr 40 Class Association in conjunction with the Chicago Yacht Club, based on the Lake Michigan shore. Success is easily measured: symbolized by the crew proudly clutching the coveted Rolex Farr 40 World Championship Trophy and the equally prized Rolex timepiece at the close of the week.

How to Follow the Event

Further information on the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship can be found at: www.farr40worlds.com.

To access news reports and features, and to download high-resolution images, copyright free for editorial purposes, register online at www.regattanews.com.

During the event, regular media updates will be available on the regattanews Facebook and Twitter feeds. They include significant news, as well as the latest images, text and audio files posted to the www.regattanews.com platform.

A daily video round up of the news and action from the event will be available each evening from 16 September.

About Rolex
Leading brand of the Swiss watch industry, Rolex, headquartered in Geneva, enjoys an unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise the world over. Its OYSTER watches, all certified as chronometers for their precision, are symbols of excellence, performance and prestige. Pioneer in the development of the wristwatch as early as 1905, the brand is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the OYSTER, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the PERPETUAL rotor self-winding mechanism introduced in 1931. Rolex has registered over 400 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports, the spirit of enterprise, and the environment through a broad palette of sponsoring activities as well as philanthropic and patronage programmes.