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Fresh from his win at the Brasil Sailing Cup, new World Tour leader Paolo CIAN (ITA) of Team Shosholoza will head up a field of 12 teams including America's Cup skippers and crews.

The 12-team field will include:

Paolo CIAN (ITA) - Team Shosholoza
Mathieu RICHARD (FRA) - French Match Racing Team
Ian WILLIAMS (GBR) - Team Pindar
Bjorn HANSEN (SWE) - Alandia Sailing Team
Sébastien COL (FRA) - K Challenge/French Match Racing Team
Peter WIBROE (DEN) - Team Wibroe
Staffan LINDBERG (FIN) - Alandia Sailing Team
Adam MINOPRIO (NZL) - Emirates Team New Zealand
Jes GRAM-HANSEN (DEN) - Trifork Racing
Damien IEHL (FRA) - French Match Racing Team
Eric MONNIN (SUI) - Search.ch 'Qualifier from the German Championship'
Markus WIESER (GER) - Team Sea Dubai 'Qualifier from the Berlin Match Race'

Team Shosholoza are on top of the World Championship standings with their win at the Brasil Sailing Cup. They are the favourites going into Germany having won the event last year sailed in matched Bavaria 35's.

"We sailed well in Brazil and had a great event to kick off our World Tour season," commented CIAN. "We are the defending Champions in Germany but anything can happen and it's still a long way to win the World Championships."

The fiery Italian will be up against some familiar foes this weekend including current ISAF Match Racing World Champion, Ian WILLIAMS (GBR) and his Team Pindar as well as Tour regulars COL, Bjorn HANSEN (SWE) and Mathieu RICHARD (FRA).

Frenchman Sébastien COL comments on the additional benefits the tour is providing him other than the opportunity of competing to become World Champion.

"Match Race Germany is our first event on the World Match Racing Tour this year. My objective this season is to sail at the highest level and to use the WMRT to prepare for our next America's Cup campaign with K-Challenge. This will enable me to test different configurations with crew members and trimmers who would be interesting for us to recruit in the team. I'm starting the week with a two days training with Mathieu Richard in Pornic, then we will head to Langenargen to start the event on Wednesday," said the French skipper.

Perhaps no other venue on the World Tour is as stunning as Lake Constance which is bordered by Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Measuring 40 miles in length and 8.5 miles in width, Lake Constance, also called Bodensee, covers 220 square miles, making it central Europe's second largest freshwater lake. With over 20,000 spectators last year, the event prides itself on its public access and festival atmosphere that takes place along the promenade of Langenargen at Lake Constance. With a large beer tent, many food vendors and bands playing everything from Dixieland to reggae, the event offers a slice of Oktoberfest in early summer.

Racing starts 7 May at 09:00 UTC subject to weather conditions. The format will see the teams split into two groups of six with the top three from each going to the quarter-finals and the bottom three from each sailing a repechage for the final two places in the quarter-final. From there the knockouts begin culminating in a first to three point final on Monday, 12 May which is a public holiday in Germany.

Match Race Germany - www.matchrace.de
World Match Racing Tour - www.worldmatchracingtour
ISAF Match Racing World Championship microsite - www.sailing.org/matchworlds