Percy and Simpson gunning for win

Star Worlds set sail in Rio de Janiero tomorrow for the Beijing Gold medallists

Beijing Star gold medallists Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson will be putting the 2016 Olympic venue through its paces when racing at the Star World Championship gets underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday.

After missing the 2009 Worlds in Sweden, which clashed with Simpson’s wedding, the pair are determined to assert their place in the 81-boat fleet, which boasts 11 former world champions including the 33-year-old Percy, who won the title in 2002.

"This event is a great marker for us, and missing the 2009 worlds due to my wedding means we are even hungrier for this one," Simpson explained. "There will be no Worlds for another 22 months, so it would be great to take home the title and keep it for such a long period."

The Skandia Team GBR duo know that, with such a competitive fleet - particularly in Brazil which Percy describes as "the home of Star sailing" - winning a first world title together won’t be easy. But they’ve been logging up the training hours at the venue with a training camp in December, which included a trip up Sugar Loaf Mountain to assess the race course conditions and tides in the harbour.

"The Brazilians have a great Olympic pedigree in this class," said Percy. "They boast three Star World Championship winning teams and a total of 14 Olympic medals between them!

"These guys know the water well and we need to keep an eye on them. The European teams are also here in force with the ever-strong Swedish, Swiss and French teams having put in a lot of Rio training hours ready for this event."

"We are here to win," added Simpson, "but there are some strong teams and medalling at the Worlds is never an easy task with only six races, one slip up can cost you dearly."

Percy and Simpson are joined at the Star Worlds by fellow Skandia Team GBR crew John Gimson and Ed Greig, who are entering their second season in the campaigning in the class.

Gimson and Greig also spent some time getting to know the Rio waters prior to Christmas, competing in the Star South American Championships where they finished 11th in a fleet containing seven former World Champions.

The Star World Championship will be held at the Yacht Club of Rio de Janeiro, with one race per day scheduled from Saturday 16 January to Friday 22 January. Wednesday 19 January is scheduled as a reserve day.