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Nine Cup skippers in UBS Challenge

Spithill, helmsman from OneWorld, is one of nine America's Cup sailors to compete

NEWPORT, Rhode Island -- Nine skippers from eight America's Cup syndicates are competing in the UBS Challenge match racing in Newport, Rhode Island.

This is likely to be the last time that the America's Cup skippers will race each other before the challenger elimination series starts in Auckland, New Zealand in October.

With a prize fund of $100,000, the UBS Challenge is the richest purse on the nine-event Swedish Match Tour.

The UBS challenge has been designed to pitch the most talented American amateur sailors against the best professional match racers by running regional qualifying heats in six U.S. cities.

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The winners of each heat then race the winners of the 2001 U.S. Match Racing Championship, the U.S. college sailor of the year and the top-ranked U.S. women's team in the UBS U.S. Championship.

The top three skippers from this event then go forward to the UBS Challenge finals.

OneWorld Challenge has entered two teams, led by skipper Peter Gilmour and helmsman James Spithill; Gavin Brady will sail for Italian syndicate Prada with Paolo Cian sailing for Mascalzone Latino.

The French Le Defi Areva have entered helmsman Luc Pillot, and Jean Claude Monnin is racing for the Swiss Alinghi team.

Andy Green is representing the British GBR Challenge, and U.S.A Team Dennis Conner skipper Ken Read will compete. Dawn Riley will sail the French K-Challenge for the 2006 America's Cup.

Teams not affiliated to America's Cup include Danish skipper Jes Gram-Hansen who finished third place overall on last year's Swedish Match Tour rankings and Danish skipper Jesper Radich who won Match Race Germany in May and was runner-up in Ravenna to Spithill.

The UBS Challenge is the second event in the 2002-3 Swedish Match Tour of nine events.