Cup Experience

Many America's Cup fans say this is their best source of information.

By

Four Reasons to Expect a Chinese America’s Cup Challenger

 

An America’s Cup challenger from China?

Update, 1 February 2017   Well! That was a false alarm. Not surprising though. ACEA has over-promised in the past – about the number of challengers and the countries they would come from – most recently in announcing the “Framework Agreement” among five of the six current teams. Let’s see if we get a China-flagged challenger for the 2019 America’s Cup.

Original post, 10 June 2015

Reasons to believe America’s Cup officials will soon announce a Chinese challenger:

  1. Title sponsor Louis Vuitton gets about a third of their revenue from Chinese shoppers.
  2. Chinese TV network CCTV has agreed to pay rights fees to broadcast, free to air, America’s Cup racing to their 400 million households.
  3. Softbank, title sponsor of the Japanese challenger, owns 32% of the stock of Alibaba, the major Chinese internet company.
  4. America’s Cup officials have stated that they expect another challenger from Asia.

This all seems to point to having a Chinese challenger. Stand by for updates!

 

By

Report from Bermuda, Louis Vuitton Cup – Webcast Wed June 3

 

Join the Cup Experience Webcast next Wednesday June 3rd.

I’ll report on my just-completed visit to Bermuda. Louis Vuitton is back, this time as title sponsor and China’s CCTV has signed on as a broadcast partner. Will a Chinese challenger be the next announcement? Lots of info about the boats – one design AC45F, AC45x experimental boats and the AC Class race boats.

Free for Cup Experience Club Gold members. Special member pricing for Silver and Bronze.

GET WEBCAST INFO

 

By

Artemis Scouts America’s Cup Race Area in Bermuda

 

Artemis Racing became the first America’s Cup challenger to sail an AC45x experimental yacht in Bermuda. Their initial conclusions: great sailing conditions and a very tight race course that will provide a severe test of sailing skill.

exc-556361f4e4b044d8a275260f

It did not take long for Artemis Racing and Oracle Team USA to line up for some speed tests on Bermuda’s Great Sound, just as they had done on San Francisco Bay in February. Both teams find it useful “to check in” with a competitor. There’s always something useful to learn. In this America’s Cup, we’re seeing the defender interacting with the challengers in several ways – boat design, sailing…

 

By

Dean Barker Named Skipper & CEO of Japanese America’s Cup Challenge

 

exc-556dacc2e4b02dec4b65b02b
AMERICA’S CUP VETERAN DEAN BARKER IN HIS NEW TEAM CLOTHES IN BERMUDA. PHOTO: SOFTBANK TEAM JAPAN

America’s Cup veteran Dean Barker, 43, has been named CEO and skipper of Softbank Team Japan. Announced in late April, the team is funded by Japan’s richest man, Softbank boss Masayoshi Son. They will receive basic design assistance from Oracle Team USA. Barker aims to have the team fully independent by the end of 2015. They will probably establish their base directly in Bermuda.

Barker was in Bermuda in May and sailed on Oracle’s AC45x “Sport” with his former nemesis Jimmy Spithill. “Being on the 45 with the Oracle guys was fantastic. The boats are just fantastic for the size of the venue,” enthused Barker.

Kazuhiko Sofuku, known as “Fuku,” will be the team’s general manager. Fuku sailed with Japan’s America’s Cup challenge in Auckland in 2000.

americas-cup-rivals-spithill-barker-ac45-turbo-compressed
AMERICA’S CUP RIVALS JIMMY SPITHILL AND DEAN BARKER SAILED ON ORACLE TEAM USA’S AC45X “SPORT” IN BERMUDA. PHOTO: ORACLE TEAM USA

The team will make their debut at the America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth in late July. Just as Ben Ainslie Racing relied on Oracle sailors in the America’s Cup World Series in 2012 and 2013, Softbank Team Japan is likely to have a few Oracle sailors on board in Portsmouth in July and Gothenburg in August. They are aiming to have the team fully independent and operational by the end of 2015.