HAMPSHIRE match racing hero Ian Williams will attempt to win a historic sixth world title this season, Sail Solent can exclusively reveal.

The 37-year-old from Lymington entered the record books as the only skipper ever to win the World Match Racing Tour five times when he rounded off the 2014 season with victory at the Monsoon Cup earlier this month.

And despite the dust only just starting to settle on the landmark win, Williams has wasted no time in setting out his goal for 2015 – to add a sixth world title to his already brimming clutch.

Williams described his 2014 tour win as “a massive honour”, an accolade which has seen him surpass some of the greatest names in sailing, such as Peter Gilmour and Russell Coutts.

He and his Team GAC Pindar crew of Chris Main, Graeme Spence, Gerry Mitchell and Mal Parker secured the overall tour victory by seeing off Swiss wildcard Eric Monnin.

They then deftly dispatched rival French crew Lunajets, with old sparring partner Mathieu Richard at the helm, in the final of the Monsoon Cup.

Williams is now the most successful match racer of all time, having previously won the tour in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2012.

Talking exclusively to Sail Solent, Williams said: “Over the last eight years on the tour many teams have challenged us but we have always responded, so it is very satisfying to have overcome the latest challenge.

“It is a massive honour to have my name on the trophy five times, alongside some of the greatest inshore sailors of the last 25 years.

“Team GAC Pindar will be back to try and win a sixth title in 2015.

We are waiting to see who the tour lineup will include but I have no doubt we will have to raise our game again in order to defend the title.

“My crew for 2015 is not yet finalised, but it is my intention to keep the team together if possible. We had two new members in 2014 – Chris Main and Graeme Spence joining Gerry Mitchell and Mal Parker – so it would be great to continue to build as a group on what we achieved in the past year.”

Despite the hectic World Match Racing Tour schedule planned for 2015, Williams revealed he will also be taking part in the Extreme Sailing Series, considered as the training ground for the America’s Cup.

Williams added: “I will be doing some of the Extreme Sailing Series in 2015 with Team GAC Pindar and I would like to have a go at trying to win that series in the future.

“The America’s Cup has always been a long term goal of mine.”