Johnie Berntsson will join an exclusive group of sailors if he claims victory at this year’s Argo Group Gold Cup.

The defending champion is bidding to become only the third skipper behind Sir Russell Coutts, the Oracle Team USA CEO, and Peter Gilmour to capture at least three titles since the World Match Racing Tour event was revamped in 1985.

Swedish skipper Berntsson and Stena Sailing won a second Gold Cup after beating Eric Monnin and Team Sailbox 3-1 in last year’s final and they will undoubtedly look to pick up where they left off in Hamilton Harbour next week.

“Winning the Gold Cup a third time would be a fabulous achievement for us,” Berntsson, the 2015 WMRT Card Holder, said.

“I am looking forward to race again in Hamilton Harbour with my excellent team-mates.”

This year’s 16-team Gold Cup line-up features the world’s top seven match racers, America’s Cup teams Artemis Racing and Softbank Team Japan, as well as past winners Ian Williams, Taylor Canfield and Berntsson.

“The set-up is always challenging and with the America’s Cup teams competing it will not make the event easier to win,” Berntsson said.

“Ian Percy from Artemis has won the event before and knows what it takes to grip the Cup. To win means that you really have to be on your top performance.”

Berntsson’s crew consists of Robert Skarp, tactician/bow, Jakob Gustavsson, trimmer, Carl-Johan Uckelstam, main, and Martin Berntsson, the team coach.

This year’s Gold Cup could be the last featuring the International One Design sloop as there has been a shift in emphasis towards the high-performance M32 catamaran for next year’s WMRT championship.

James Pleasance, the executive director of the WMRT, has made clear his ambition to extend use of the M32 across more events on the series, including the Gold Cup.

Berntsson said the M32 will add another “fun dimension” to the WMRT racing circuit but would rather have the IOD remain as the class for the Gold Cup.

“The IOD’s in Bermuda represent a classic way of match racing and are the oldest boats in the WMRT that still gives the audience some exciting racing to watch,” Berntsson said.

“Right now I would prefer to keep the IOD’s at the Argo Group Gold Cup and instead use the M32’s in other events where they get more space on the racecourse and where it is a better opportunity to build new traditions.”

The Gold Cup will be held from October 6 to 11.

Flying Bermuda’s banner this year is Blythe Walker.

Walker secured the Gold Cup spot allocated to the winner of the Bacardi Bermuda National Match Racing Championships as SoftBank Team Japan, who won the national match racing title, had already gained entry to the Gold Cup via a wild card.