Ben Ainslie Racing Is In; Kiwis Are Pumped

In addition to last week’s disappointing news that San Francisco is no longer being considered for the Finals of the 35th America’s Cup — this writer is admittedly San Francisco-biased — AC fans were also treated to the exciting news of the official launch of what promises to be a formidable threat to Oracle Team USA’s potential three-peat. As announced last Tuesday near London, Ben Ainslie Racing will mount an English challenge for the Cup with a reported budget of around £80 million ($136 million). Coming as a surprise to absolutely no one, five-time Olympic medalist (with four golds) and AC 34-winning tactician Sir Ben Ainslie will be at the helm of both the campaign and the boat. If initial impressions prove accurate, OTUSA will more than have their hands full competing against BAR.

Unsuccessfully campaigning for the America’s Cup has been a part of English culture since losing the very first Cup on their home waters back in 1851. The English having been effectively the Buffalo Bills of America’s Cup competition for the better part of two centuries, the desire to win the Cup strikes a chord in the heart of every English sailing fan after sixteen unsuccessful challenges. Sir Charles Dunstone, Chairman of BAR’s Board explains, "This campaign is about righting a wrong. We have never won it. We have an amazing maritime history. The Cup has to come home, we have to do that."

Ask any America’s Cup skipper or campaign CEO the key to success, and they will all tell you the same thing; surround yourself with the right personnel. While designers, engineers and shore crew from OTUSA, Artemis, Luna Rossa and more are reportedly jumping ship to BAR, the British syndicate has gone even one step further. BAR has ‘upped the ante’ by recruiting the world’s leading race car designer to help them win the Cup: Adrian Newey. In discussions with Newey, who is a 10-time Formula 1 Constructor’s Championship-winning designer and current Red Bull F1 Chief Technical Director, BAR has aligned itself with an incredible wealth of knowledge in both aerodynamics and hydraulics. Not to mention… Red Bull money. This campaign will be an exciting one to follow. Stay tuned.

Also in AC35 news, there’s been a lot of competitive banter lately from OTUSA’s Russell Coutts and Jimmy Spithill towards Emirates Team New Zealand, predicting that ETNZ will not return to America’s Cup racing because of the high cost of entry. Today, however, Grant Dalton put any such questions to rest, saying directly that there is nothing in the new protocol that scares ETNZ, and that they are in the best financial shape ever going into an AC campaign. You can watch the press conference below.