On the eve of its 38th edition, the AC75 continues to appeal. The creation of an intermediate championship is widely acclaimed. Silvio Arrivabene (Alinghi Red Bull Racing) and Stephan Kandler (Orient Express Racing Team) take a closer look.
Text: Pierre-Antoine Preti
The 37th America’s Cup is barely over, and the 38th is just around the corner. Once the line of the last regatta has been crossed, the Defender chooses his Challenger of Record. In the months that follow, it is with him that the Protocol, the format of the next edition, is drawn up. For this 37th edition, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (Emirates Team New Zealand) has chosen the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd (Ineos Britannia). At the time of going to press, the winner is not yet known. We therefore asked the challengers for their general opinion on the main principles of the 37th edition and the improvements they would like to see. The two new challengers, Silvio Arrivabene, co-general manager of Alinghi Red Bull Racing, and Stephan Kandler, CEO of the French challenge Orient Express Racing Team, agreed to meet us. *
Reducing costs and increasing the number of teams, the organizers of the 37th edition sought to increase the number of participants. To achieve this goal, costs had to be contained, one of the objectives of the current Defender. Stephan Kandler, head of the French team, welcomes this move: “The New Zealanders have used every possible rule to save money. There were four teams in 2021. Now there are six. So we’re in the genesis of a growing series. We need to stay the course.” With this in mind, the “legislators” have authorized only one boat per team. They also signed an agreement to perpetuate the AC75s until the 38th edition. They also agreed to limit expensive architectural innovations. Silvio Arrivabene believes this is an effort that should be maintained in the future: “In Formula 1, teams have gone from 50 to 1,000 people in 20 years. Every little part of the car is optimized by dedicated engineers. This is extremely costly. With competitions every 3-4 years, I don’t think it’s essential for the America’s Cup.”
Architecturally, certain parts have been drastically limited. This is the case, for example, with the foils (3 pieces compared to 6 for the previous edition). For Silvio Arrivabene, this number of foils “is a bit short if you consider the possibility of breakage and spare parts”. The design of the articulated arms, mast, hydraulic system and material gauge have been frozen. “One-design is well present on our boats,” explains Silvio Arrivabene. The balance is good. All the more so as there’s still plenty of room for innovation.”
Producing human energy?
Should we keep an armada of cyclists to generate part of the boat’s energy? Stephan Kandler is in favor of keeping this practice “in the air of the times”. Silvio Arrivabene, for his part, reserves his position: “In absolute terms, on a purely technical level, we could sail these boats with just one person. But that raises questions about the philosophy of the sport. Honestly, I haven’t yet had the time to ask myself this question in depth.”
An AC40 championship?
In Barcelona, the question of an intermediate AC40 championship is on everyone’s lips. On this subject, Stephan Kandler is categorical: “We absolutely must organize this circuit. It’s a key element that will considerably improve our visibility.” Silvio Arrivabene goes one step further: “We can organize intermediate races on AC75s. We can even imagine fleet races.” Stephan Kandler is not thrilled by this last prospect: “Match racing is part of the America’s Cup genes.”
Communicating sport more effectively
The two specialists agree that communication with the general public needs to be improved. Silvio Arrivabene acknowledges that crew positions are now very static. “Yet they are very active. We need to make their respective roles better understood, to make the data more visible, more spectacular.” Stephan Kandler is of the same opinion, evoking “a work of evangelization. It’s a bit of a paradox, but today, it’s SailGP that’s making our sport better understood.”
STEPHAN KANDLER, CEO OF ORIENT EXPRESS RACING TEAM, WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE CREATION OF AN INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN AC40.
CONTINUING TO PRODUCE HUMAN ENERGY ON FOILERS IS A COMPLEX ISSUE.
SILVIO ARRIVABENE, COGENERAL MANAGER OF ALINGHI RED BULL RACING, WOULD WELCOME INTERMEDIATE REGATTAS IN AC75.
No Defender at the Louis Vuitton
If there’s one thing the co-general manager of Alinghi Red Bull Racing disagrees with, it’s the presence of the Kiwi Defender during the Louis Vuitton Cup Round Robins. “I don’t mind the Defender sailing in an intermediate championship, but it doesn’t belong in the Louis Vuitton Cup. It’s a space reserved for challengers. That’s the tradition of the ‘America’s Cup.” On the same question, Stephan Kandler is more moderate. He sees it as a way “to avoid the Defender then choosing to sail with two boats, which would be a huge advantage.”
Youth, Women and more from Round Robin
As far as the competition format is concerned, Stephan Kandler is very keen on the presence of the Youth and Women’s circuits. “We now have two channels of access to the America’s Cup and, with the challenger channel, that makes three different levels of entry to the sport.” Silvio Arrivabene regrets the short duration of the races (20 min). “If we can’t lengthen the regattas, we should at least increase their number. After three years of campaigning, it’s very frustrating to sail so little. We could imagine more Round Robins.” The Swiss team manager adds: “What I’d like, in general, is for all the teams to be consulted, so that we can pool our opinions and organize the best possible event.”
*The American and Italian challengers declined our invitation. The former “for lack of time”. The second replied: “We never comment on Defender rules. If you accept
to play, you implicitly accept the rules of the game. If you don’t like them, you can always change them, but first you have to win the America’s Cup. “It should be pointed out that the Challenger of Record (Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd) was not consulted, since it was itself involved in creating the rules for the 37th edition. It would have been difficult for it to criticize them.