Szabo, Sperry Take First Race

George Szabo and crew Austin Sperry solved the weather riddles of Santa Monica Bay and made all the right moves to build an unbeatable lead in the first race of the Nautica 2002 Star Class World Championship Sunday, but their final opponent was time.

With light, shifty winds forcing the fleet of more than 100 boats to play beat the clock, the San Diego duo sailed across the finish line 3 minutes 21 seconds ahead of the 3 1/2-hour deadline for the 10 1/2-mile race, while a bunch of big names were left behind.

Szabo’s finish made it an official race, leaving nine former world champions with finishes of 22nd or worse. Runners-up Mark Mansfield and crew Killean Collins of Ireland were 2 minutes 53 seconds behind, followed by 1990 winner Torben Grael of Brazil. San Francisco’s Paul Cayard, the ’88 champion, was delighted with seventh place.

“This is my 11th Worlds,” Szabo said. “The first one I was in at Cannes we won a race, but not since then. It’s been a long time.”