The two hottest match racing skippers in the world, TEAMORIGIN’s Ben Ainslie, and BMW ORACLE Racing’s James Spithill, will lead their teams contesting the 1851 Cup.
The 1851 Cup
Britain’s TEAMORIGIN will be the be first potential challenger for the next America’s Cup to race head-to-head with BMW ORACLE Racing, winners of the 33rd America’s Cup.
Competition will take place on the historic waters of the Solent and around the Isle of Wight upon which a race won by the New York yacht America gave rise to the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in the international sport.
The 1851 Cup celebrates this event.
Racing will be held as close to West Cowes as possible to give spectators a close-up view, with a special race around the Isle of Wight also planned.
The racing schedule is:
Match racing : up to three short match races per day on Tuesday 3rd, Wednesday 4th and Friday 6th August, starting from 1430 onwards
Round the Island race : Thursday 5th August both boats will go around the Island in a clockwise direction, replicating the direction of the yachts back in 1851
BMW ORACLE Racing’s James Spithill
Aged 30, Australian James Spithill the youngest-ever America’s Cup skipper, will go into battle against Great Britain’s Ben Ainslie, aged 33, Skipper and Helmsman of TEAMORIGIN, four times Olympic medallist with 3 golds and 1 silver.
“This will be an incredible event which I am sure will capture the imagination of sports fans across the UK,” commented Ben Ainslie. “We relish the idea of taking on the Defenders in our home waters. We have a busy season in 2010 and The 1851 Cup is one that we are all particularly looking forward to.”
The teams will be based at the 1851 Marquee on Cowes Parade, adjacent to the Royal Yacht Squadron. There will be information and activities for public and guests daily.
The iconic America’s Cup will be on public display during the day. Members of each team will be on hand to sign posters, answer questions and talk about their passion for their sport and for winning the America’s Cup.
James Spithill, Skipper of BMW ORACLE Racing added: “Ben’s a mate and fantastic sailor. Having said that, we’re really looking forward to taking the fight to him and his guys. For our team, this is a key stepping stone from having been victorious challengers in February when we beat Alinghi, to becoming a unit that has to defend the 34th America’s Cup.”
Leslie Greenhalgh
TEAMORIGIN:
British Team Origin's Ben Ainslie
TEAMORIGIN is the British America’s Cup sailing team set up in January 2007 by Sir Keith Mills, Team Principal of TEAMORIGIN.
The team’s mission is to win the America’s Cup and inspire positive action around climate change
Headed up by Sir Keith, other key team members include Grant Simmer, CEO and three times winner of the America’s Cup; Ben Ainslie, Skipper and Helmsman, three times Olympic gold medallist and one time silver medallist; Iain Percy, Tactician and double Olympic gold medallist; and Juan Kouyoumdjian, Principal Designer
Race for Change is an inspiring strategic collaboration between sport and the environment launched in association with the Carbon Trust, the UK’s leading authority on carbon reduction, and environmental partner to the team
TEAMORIGIN plan to use the Race for Change platform and programme to raise awareness and inspire their audiences around the urgent need for action on environmental matters
The Royal Thames Yacht Club is the official challenging yacht club to the team for the next America’s Cup, this is the fourth time that the Club will challenge in the 140 year history of the contest
During 2010 the team is competing in the Louis Vuitton Trophy regattas, the AudiMed Cup TP52 series and the World Match Racing circuit
BMW ORACLE Racing:
BMW ORACLE Racing is the current America’s Cup champion, winning the 33rd Match on February 14, 2010, in Valencia, Spain.
San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club is the third American club, and only the sixth since 1851, to be Trustee of the America’s Cup.
BMW ORACLE Racing was the first American team to triumph in the Cup since 1992.
The team’s 30m trimaran, USA 17, is the most advanced and fastest America’s Cup yacht in history. It bristles with innovation, capped by the biggest wing ever built. At 68m, it is longer than any wing fitted by Boeing or Airbus.
Masterminding USA 17’s victory over Alinghi 5 of Switzerland was skipper/helmsman James Spithill, the youngest-ever winning skipper in the 159 year history of the Cup, and chief executive Russell Coutts, the most successful skipper the event has known.
BMW ORACLE Racing was started 10 years ago by Larry Ellison, founder of the global software company Oracle Corporation. It is a creative team, employing advanced technologies.
Larry Ellison is a longstanding competitive helmsman, most recently winning the RC44 class’ 2010 Austria Cup.
He has pledged to make the America’s Cup a fair competition for all competitors, a sustainable business proposition for partners and teams, and a more compelling event to engage a wider-than-ever audience
