Ben Ainslie's Ineos Britannia team are set to start their bid to become the first British crew to win the America's Cup.
After almost three years of meticulous planning and testing, six teams will race their new AC75 boats against each other for the first time on Thursday in the final preliminary regatta.
The four-day event takes place within sight of the port area of Barcelona, the host city for the 37th America's Cup., external
The competition begins in earnest on 29 August, with a series of races to decide which boat will take on defending champions New Zealand for the trophy in October.
Four-time Olympic sailing champion Ainslie is the skipper and chief executive officer of the Britannia team,, external which is backed by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos Group.
They have worked with the Mercedes Formula 1 team to develop their boat, and with the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team to help the crew reach their physical peak.
The British team will take on rivals from Switzerland (Alinghi Red Bull Racing), Italy (Luna Rossa), the United States (NYYC American Magic) and France (Orient Express Racing Team) in the Challenger Selection Series leading up to the final series.
Known as the Louis Vuitton Cup, there are three competitions from 29 August to 7 October:
29 August to 8 September: Louis Vuitton Cup round-robin stage - all teams race each other twice, with the top four going through and the leading team choosing who they face in the semi-finals
14-19 September: Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals - first to win five races advances
26 September to 7 October: Louis Vuitton Cup final - first to win seven races qualifies for the America's Cup match
12-17 October: the 37th America's Cup - the Louis Vuitton Cup winner takes on holders Team New Zealand, with the first to seven race victories winning the trophy
The inaugural Women’s America’s Cup takes place in AC40 boats - a smaller version of the AC75 - from 5-13 October in Barcelona.
Great Britain's Athena Pathway will be one of 12 teams to start the qualification series from 5-9 October.
Hannah Mills, Britain's most successful female Olympic sailor - with two golds and a silver - leads the 12-strong British squad.
The 36-year-old from Wales has assembled a team full of Olympic and world medallists, including her former partner Saskia Clark and Paris 2024 kite sailing gold medallist Ellie Aldridge.
They will hope to advance to the final on 11 October, and from there reach the match race final on 13 October.
Great Britain are also represented in the Youth America’s Cup, taking place from 17-26 September.
No comments:
Post a Comment