Paul Cayard (USA) and Frithjof Kleen (GER) crowned 2025 Star World Champions, sealing the title on the very last race of the championship.
As expected, strategy played a key role right from the start. Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) chose the left side of the course, sailing closely with Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada (POL/BRA). Eric Doyle and Payson Infelise (USA) held the middle, while Cayard and Kleen took it out to the right.
At the first top mark, it was Negri/Lambertenghi leading, followed by home favorite Tonci Stipanovic with Tudor Bilic (CRO) and the Italian duo Enrico Chieffi and Nando Colaninno. Doyle/Infelise rounded fourth, Heuwinkel/Spehr fifth, and Kusznierewicz/Prada sixth.
Crucially, Cayard and Kleen were back in 14, a dangerous position given the championship on the line.
But the veteran pair showed their resilience, picking off boats on the first downwind to close the gap. They knew they had to limit the number of boats between them and their closest rivals: no more than 11 behind Negri, 4 behind Doyle, and 7 behind Kusznierewicz.
At the gate, the pressure mounted. The margins were razor-thin. But by the second top mark, it became clear, they had done just enough. The buffer was narrow, but it was there. The championship was within reach.
As Negri and Lambertenghi powered ahead to win the race, followed by Stipanovic/Bilic, Kusznierewicz/Prada, and Chieffi/Colaninno, the eyes of the fleet turned toward the battle further back.
Cayard and Kleen crossed the line in seventh, securing the title by a slim three point margin.
It is Cayard’s second Star World title, 37 years after his first, and Kleen’s third as a crew.
2025 Star World Championship (101 entries)
– Final Leaders after 6 races, 1 discard
1st USA Paul Cayard / Frithjof Kleen – – 28 pts
2nd POL Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada – – 31 pts
3rd ITA Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi – – 33 pts
4th USA Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise – – 34 pts
5th CRO Tonci Stipanovic / Tudor Bilic – – 38 pts
6th GER Nick Heuwinkel / Jesper Spehr – – 39 pts
7th GER Robert Stanjek / Marcel Vockel – – 53 pts
8th ITA Enrico Chieffi / Ferdinando Colaninno – – 56 pts
9th USA Jack Jennings / Pedro Trouche – – 61 pts
10th CRO Mate Arapov / Ante Siti – – 67 pts
GBR:
20th GBR Ante Razmilovic / Brian Hammersley – – 107 pts
42nd GBR David McGregor / Frederick McGregor – – 191 pts
