After two terrific events to start off 2012 in Italy, the focus of the 34th America’s Cup now shifts to the United States.
The next races in Newport, Rhode Island at the end of June will determine the first winner of the AC World Series. ORACLE TEAM USA Spithill is in pole position heading to Newport, with a four point margin over Emirates Team New Zealand on the 2011-12 overall leaderboard.
Spithill’s crew started the year one point back, so the two Italian events have proven extremely productive.
“We’re leaving with a four-point lead,” Spithill said from the prizegiving in Venice. « That’s the important thing. I’m happy with how the team did. Obviously we’ve got a lot to work on but there’s no question we’ll be ready for Newport.”
Meanwhile, the holiday Memorial Day weekend was especially notable in San Francisco as Sunday May 27 marked the 75th birthday of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
In celebration, ORACLE TEAM USA participated in a ‘sail past’, paying tribute to the bridge that will serve as a stunning backdrop to all of the racing in San Francisco, beginning in August this year and continuing in October and into all of the events in the summer of 2013.
Finally, two other stories stand out this week
First, Energy Team’s fantastic victory in Venice is still resonating with fans around the world. Loick Peyron’s team led each day of the Fleet Racing Championship and secured the win in dramatic fashion, just holding off a hard-charging Spithill on the finish line. The win will give a boost to one of the most popular teams on the circuit as they look to secure their challenge.
Second, Artemis Racing went from ecstasy to agony over the short span of a week. After winning their second consecutive Match Racing Championship in Venice on Sunday, the team returned to Valencia to resume training with their AC72 wing – the first team to do so. The wing has been set up on an ORMA 60 foot trimaran, which allows the team to test ahead of the launch of its AC72 in July. But on Friday, Artemis reported the wing had suffered ‘significant’ damage.
As the first team to be testing an AC72 component, Artemis Racing is the first to suffer such a setback. But with all of the teams pushing the outer limits of technology, they are unlikely to be the last. Such is the America’s Cup.
ORACLE TEAM USA salutes the Golden Gate Bridge
The Bay Area’s John Kostecki skippered ORACLE TEAM USA’s wingsailed AC45 catamaran to salute the 75th anniversary of the 2013 America’s Cup host city’s most famous landmark- the Golden Gate Bridge.
In a weekend of celebrations, hundreds of boats took to the Bay, with thousands more enjoying entertainment all the way from Fort Point, Crissy Field and Marina Green.
The team’s AC45 carried a special message on its 20m high wingsail: “Happy 75th Anniversary from ORACLE TEAM USA.”
Bruno Peyron says Energy Team is ready to battle top teams
With a win under his belt after leading the regatta from beginning to end in Venice, the CEO of Energy Team, Bruno Peyron, says his team must set its sights higher than just reaching the podium at the AC World Series. He says the team has to keep pushing, as it did in Italy, for the outright win. It’s a goal he set after an initial strong showing in San Diego last November.
« In San Diego everyone said it was wonderful we finished on the podium and reached the final for the first time, but I was thinking, we don’t have to stop here, we have to work more, » Peyron said. « It’s not enough just to be with the top guys, let’s get in front of them. And now, here we are. »
Energy Team wins dramatic Venice Fleet Racing Championship
Loïck Peyron continued to demonstrate the form he has shown all week, leading his Energy Team to a spectacular win on the final day of America’s Cup World Series racing in Venice. Peyron and his French crew have been perched atop the leaderboard all four days this week, demonstrating an impressive command of the Grand Canal race area.
“I think the lighter conditions were good for us,” Peyron, the veteran multihull sailor, said. “I’m used to this kind of tricky game, trying to be as cool as possible. The pressure was in the red zone, but it made for an exciting race for sure. This was a big victory for us. We are a small team, and hopefully this is just the beginning.” Read more
Artemis wins the Match Racing Championships
Light air, plenty of current and countless lead changes, made for dramatic racing for the thousands of spectators who lined the race course for the final day of the America’s Cup World Series in Venice.
Having defeated Energy Team in the Match Racing Semi-Finals yesterday, Artemis lined up against Luna Rossa – Piranha for the Finals. The Italians battled and kept the pressure on, but were unable to defeat Artemis who maintain their position at the top of the ACWS Match Racing leaderboard after the five World Series events. Read more
ORACLE TEAM USA Spithill extends ACWS season championship lead
ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL finished on the podium in both the fleet and match racing championships at ACWS – Venice and now holds a 4-point lead in the 2011-12 ACWS Season Championship heading into next month’s final event.
Skipper Jimmy Spithill and his four-man crew – John Kostecki, Kyle Langford, Joe Newton and Brad Webb – was the only team to make the podium in both disciplines. They finished second in the fleet racing and third in the match racing at the regatta that tested their resolve. After the first day of racing the crew was seventh in the standings. Read more
America’s Cup appoints SportsMark
America’s Cup appoints SportsMark as Official Corporate Hospitality Management Partner and Exclusive Global Sales Agent of America’s Cup Club
The America’s Cup has appointed SportsMark Management Group as the official corporate hospitality management partner and exclusive global sales agent of the America’s Cup Club hospitality program for the America’s Cup World Series events in San Francisco in 2012 and for the Louis Vuitton Cup (America’s Cup Challenger Series) and America’s Cup Finals taking place in San Francisco in 2013.
Offered exclusively by the organizers of the 34th America’s Cup, the America’s Cup Club will provide guests with a first-class hospitality experience within the official America’s Cup Club hospitality venue, an unparalleled view of the sailing action on San Francisco Bay, and elite insider benefits that will only be available as part of the official program.