The round robin phase of the challenger selection series (formerly called the Louis Vuitton Cup) was originally planned for a venue other than the rest of the racing. When Bermuda was announced as the venue for the America’s Cup Match and for the semi-finals and finals of challenger selection, AC Commercial Commissioner Harvey Schiller hinted that Auckland would host the round robin, called the AC Qualifiers. That plan has now been scrapped by the AC Event Authority, as they have announced that all 2017 racing will be held in Bermuda. Remember that the AC World Series in 2015 and 2016 will be only fleet racing in one design AC45’s. Racing in the new AC48 / America’s Cup Class boats begins in 2017 and is match racing only. You can see an overview of the competition format here.
Team New Zealand Files Protest – Tyranny of the Majority, Part 2
Team New Zealand claims that ACEA abided by the then-in-force version of the Protocol and announced on 15 February 2015 that Auckland would host the AC Qualifiers. Defender Oracle got approval from a majority of the challengers (Artemis, BAR and Team France) to change the announcement date retroactively. ACEA then announced Bermuda as the venue for the AC Qualifiers. With no event in Auckland, the New Zealand government will not sponsor the team, threatening their survival. Team New Zealand protested to the not-yet-appointed Arbitration Panel. It’s not clear what would happen if the Arbitration Panel were to rule in Team New Zealand’s favor – would ACEA be obliged to hold the Qualifiers in Auckland after all?