Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/688389
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 JUNE 2016 Sport 54 SAILING MOTOGP Malta Sailing League final event underway this weekend at RMYC HAVING been postponed due to bad weather, the third and final Cup event of the 2016 Malta Sail- ing League gets underway this weekend with six top local clubs/ teams competing to be crowned National League Champion. Organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and the J70 Asso- ciation Malta, today and on the 7 June will see Malta's top sailing crews out on the water in Mar- samxett harbour, battling it out for a chance to compete in the International Sailing Champions League. The winners will qualify to rep- resent their club and Malta, at the Sailing Champions League. Qualifying teams will have en- try fees and flights sponsored by Mapfre Middlesea and Yachting Malta. A coveted prize which has led to fierce and adrenaline filled competition throughout the League. After the dramatic events of last month's Cup, where challenging weather conditions and technical difficulties pushed the teams to their limit, only seven points now separate the top two scoreboard leaders. This weekend could see second placed team RMYC - XP- Act, skippered by Josef Schultheis and Timmy Camilleri catch up with MYSC – Calypso, skippered by Benji Borg and Sebastian Ri- pard. Applying the pressure is RMYC - Artie - skippered by Lee Satariano, who are hot on their heels. In this final regatta of the season there's still time for them to gain crucial points. More information on the Malta Sailing League can be found on www.rmyc.org or on https://www. facebook .com/ J70 -A ssociation- Malta-213154778884802/?fref=ts PHOTOGRAPHY BY KURT ARRIGO Rolex Middle Sea Race – familiar names, new faces AS the Royal Malta Yacht Club is well into its preparations for the annual Rolex Middle Sea Race, the interest and response so far is very encouraging, suggesting that there will be another good f leet in 2016. A highly rated offshore classic, the race has in previous years have seen over 120 boats, repre- senting over 24 countries, some as far f lung as Australia and New Zealand, grace the iconic Valletta Grand Harbour prior to the start of the 608 nautical mile race. 2015 saw an impressive mix of mono and multihulls take part, with Monohull Line Honours going to George David's Ram- bler 88 which arrived soon af- ter Lloyd Thornburg's MOD 70 Phaedo 3. The latter was the first Multihull home. Michele Galli's Italian TP52, B2 won the Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy, whilst fellow Italian Vincenzo Onorato's Cookson 50, Mascalzone Latino won the Boccale Del Mediterra- neo. The Rolex Middle Sea Race is a widely anticipated race for both sailing crews and the gen- eral public, who mark their dia- ries well in advance to ensure they don't miss the action in the Grand Harbour. Participants have come to expect a memorable offshore sailing event combined with the usual great hospitality at the Royal Malta Yacht Club. The 37th Edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race is scheduled to start on Saturday 22nd October 2016. Entries for the race have been steadily coming in with a good mix of familiar names and new ones signing up for the 608 nautical mile race. The 2016 Rolex Middle Sea Race Notice of Race is now avail- able online on - http://rolexmid- dlesearace.com/race/race-docs/. Copies of the document can also be collected from the Royal Malta Yacht Club Secretariat. Entries will be accepted until the 7th October 2016 and crews are encouraged to submit their registration at the earliest, and can be submitted on line on www. rolexmiddlesearace.com. For further information either visit the race website or contact the Royal Malta Yacht Club by sending an email to info@rmyc. org or calling on +356 2133 2019. Watch the Rolex Mid- dle Sea Race 2015 video at: h t t p s : // w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=PHI1j47qQOc PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROLEX/CARLO BORLENGHI Marquez leads front row of local heroes MARC Marquez continued to be the man to beat in Catalunya as he sprinted to his third pole of the 2016 season. The sun continued to beat down as MotoGP™ World Champion- ship bikes roared out of pit lane for Q2. With an air temperature of 25.5°C and a ground temperature of 42.5°C, conditions were ideal for the forthcoming battle for pole po- sition at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya. Marc Mar- quez (Repsol Honda Team) quickly set the best time of the weekend, becoming the first rider to ever set a 1'43 lap around the new layout on a Grand Prix motorcycle. His lap wouldn't be challenged until the final 30 seconds when the timing screens became a sea of red. Just as the flag came out Marquez recorded a 1'43.589, netting pole position as he ended 0.467s faster than his closest rival. The Repsol Honda man was the only rider un- der the 1'44 barrier to take his first pole position since Austin earlier in the year. Both of Marquez's pre- vious 2016 poles have converted into victories. This is also Mar- quez's first MotoGP™ pole position at the Barcelona circuit, having never previously started higher than third in the premier class. Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) did well to produce a 1'44.056, unable to challenge Mar- quez's time but a quarter of a sec- ond faster than third placed Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team). The Catalan GP sees Lorenzo out for his third straight victory of the 2016 season, arriving with a com- fortable ten-point lead. Lorenzo has won the premier class edition of the Catalan GP on four previous occasions, most recently in 2015. Lorenzo did admit that he and Yamaha are struggling in the final sector, the heavy braking causing issues which need to be solved to stay with Marquez. The Catalan GP is home to all three riders, making for a very special front row. Dani Pedrosa returns to the front row for the first time since the Valencia GP in 2015, having not started higher than fourth so far in 2016. This ends what had been Pedrosa's long- est run without a front row start since his rookie season in 2006. A 1'44.307 saw Pedrosa just able to hold onto the front row 0.015s ahead of fourth place. Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) was a surprise in fourth after ad- vancing from the Q1 session. Not since the Italian GP in 2012 has Barbera started a MotoGP™ race inside the top six. 0.002s back on Barbera was Val- entino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) who had been unable to crack the top three since the new layout was introduced. Like Lor- enzo he is having some difficulties with the new layout, the Yamaha preferring longer, faster corners as opposed to the more stop-start nature of the new course. Even in fifth, Rossi was only 0.017s off a front row start. Completing the second row will be Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar), unable to deliver on the pole challenging speed he'd shown in Free Practice 3 and Free Practice 4. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team), Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) formed the remain- der of the top ten. Marc Marquez