Jaguar has announced a partnership with TEAMORIGIN, the British America’s Cup sailing team, created by Sir Keith Mills with the single purpose of winning the America’s Cup for Great Britain. This new partnership brings the two parties together for a summer of sailing activities and the first event that will see ‘TEAMORIGIN racing with Jaguar’ is during Cowes Week in August, when the team will race BMW ORACLE Racing, the current holder of the America’s Cup, in the 1851 Cup event.
This new partnership is part of Jaguar’s commitment to the best of British sport under the umbrella of the Jaguar Academy of Sport, which aims to recognise, celebrate and inspire the very best of British sporting talent and success. The partnership is further strengthened by the shared commitment of both organisations to strive for improved environmental performance, through TEAMORIGIN’s ‘Race for Change’ strategy, and Jaguar’s advanced Lightweight Aluminium technology, which resulted in the recent win of the 2010 What? Car Green Award.
Sir Keith Mills, Team Principal, TEAMORIGIN, commented, “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jaguar as our partner. There is a superb fit and alignment of purpose between TEAMORIGIN and Jaguar. Jaguar is clearly one of the most revered and iconic British brands and, just as Jaguar is now taking on and beating the best in the automotive world, so our mission is to take on and beat the best in the world on the water. The fit is further enhanced through our shared commitment to improve our environmental performance.”
Geoff Cousins, Managing Director, Jaguar UK commented, “To partner with TEAMORIGIN is a fantastic opportunity for Jaguar. We are looking forward to the first appearance this summer at the 1851 Cup event, an exciting competition, which will see Britain’s best sailing talent compete against the current holders of The America’s Cup. It’s a mouth-watering prospect and one we are proud to support. Sir Keith has a formidable reputation for success and he has set-up TEAMORIGIN with a single purpose in mind, to win the America’s Cup for Great Britain. This is a serious British Endeavour, which fits perfectly with the recently launched Jaguar Academy of Sport, which is all about investing in the future of British Sporting talent.”
TEAMORIGIN’s newly branded livery will appear during Cowes Week (racing takes place between Tuesday 2nd and Friday 6th August) and will feature striking Jaguar branding on both the hull and sails. The spinnaker will feature a Jaguar leaper in Union Jack Motif, the symbol of the Jaguar Academy of Sport.
Jaguar and TEAMORIGIN share a passion for pioneering technologies and enhanced environmental performance. Jaguar’s XJ 3.0 Diesel V6 Luxury model has just been awarded the 2010 What Car? Green award in the luxury category, demonstrating the company’s commitment to developing new technologies and improved performance. This is also evident with TEAMORIGIN’s partnership with the Carbon Trust as their Environmental Partner. Jaguar’s endeavours to achieve CO2 reductions are also demonstrated with its pioneering aluminium architecture, one of the most significant contributors to the new XJ’s green credentials – using around 50 percent recycled material in the body, with future plans to increase that figure to 75 percent, which alone creates a saving of three tonnes of CO2 per vehicle compared to a body shell made from new aluminium.
Denise Lewis, Patron of the Jaguar Academy of Sport, commented: “As a Patron of the Jaguar Academy of Sport I was excited to learn about another exciting venture by Jaguar, which is continuing its efforts to support the best of British sport. Jaguar is building on the Jaguar Academy of Sport and really showing its commitment to the success of British sporting athletes. I am looking forward to following the racing during Cowes week, Ben Ainslie and I were together at the Sydney Olympic games, where we both won gold, and I want to wish him and the team all the best for the race and look forward to hearing the result of the 1851 Cup event.”
Ben Ainslie, Skipper and Helmsman of TEAMORIGIN, commented: “TEAMORIGIN’s goal is to win the America’s Cup for Great Britain, to achieve this we need to engage the support of like minded partners. In Jaguar, we can see great synergies where they share our passion for sport and competition at the highest level.”
Leslie Greenhalgh