HAMPSHIRE racer Leigh McMillan is today set for a thrilling showdown in his bid for a historic third Extreme Sailing Series title.

Former Olympian McMillan, from Southampton, sits just eight points off the lead in second place overall with his The Wave Muscat team after seven nail-biting rounds.

McMillan’s crew has two wins and three second place finishes under their belts, and only Swiss team Alinghi have performed better over the season.

But with double the amount of points up for grabs at the season finale, McMillan’s crew were gearing up to throw everything at their arch rivals.

“We knew the last event in Nice [where they finished second to Alinghi] really affected our chances but it is not over yet,” McMillan said.

“We need to have a storming event so if we can go into the last day in the lead with a little bit of a margin we can still influence the result, but we can only do that if we are in a really strong position.

“Alinghi are in a very strong position so we really have to sail our socks off for the entire week then see what we can do at the end.

“Morgan [Larsen, Alinghi skipper] and the guys have been strong this year but they have had their bad days and shown lapses.

“They have made it as hard for us as we have made it for them but now this championship is theirs to lose.

“They are not unbeatable.

“We have beaten them two years running and we hope to do it again this time.”

McMillan sailed his crew to victory in 2012 and 2013 – and their hunger for victory is as strong as ever.

“It means just as much this year as it has in previous years so we will be giving it our all in Sydney,” added McMillan.

“We want to keep learning, winning and proving ourselves.”

Fellow Hampshire sailor Ben Ainslie will also have his eyes on a podium fnish – his J.P. Morgan BAR team go into the event in fifth overall but with just 12 points separating them from third.

Racing begins today and runs until Sunday.