Transpetro Star Class South
American Championship is being organized and sponsored by Transpetro from March
22 to March 25 in the Bay of Angra dos Reis in Rio de Janeiro. Sergio Machado,
president of Transpetro, said that the tournament will bring together 30
contestants from Brazil, Argentina, Italy and the United States.
The event is being promoted by
the Sailing Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FEVERJ) and the
International Star Class Yacht Racing Association (ISCYRA).
Sergio Machado added that the aim
of the event is to promote technical exchange between participants and to serve
as training for the London Olympics.
Among the athletes competing for
the championship are the Brazilians international champions Lars Grael -
fighting for his fourth win in the class - Gastão Brum and Dino Pascolato. They
will compete with foreigners such as Claude Bonanni (United States), Federico
Calegari (Argentina) and Cristaldini Corrado (Italy).
One of the main classes in the
sailboat category and the modality that has provided the greatest number of
Olympic medals for Brazil is the Star class. It has athletes such as Torben
Grael and Robert Scheidt. There are eight races altogether, divided among the
child (up to 12 years), adolescent (12-18 years), adult (18-59 years), elderly
(over 60 years) and special needs groups.
