Ben Ainslie Racing, launch of new British America's Cup Challenge

From the following article on BYMnews:

http://bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=133840

Sir Ben Ainslie launches British America’s Cup Challenge

Tuesday, 10 June 2014

Sir Ben Ainslie, one of Britain’s best sailors, today launched his bid to win the America’s Cup, the 163-year old trophy never won by Great Britain. The Duchess of Cambridge, a keen sailor herself, attended the launch at the Royal Museums Greenwich to show her support for the campaign.

The four-time Olympic gold medal winner, Sir Ben, who announced his challenge with Yacht Squadron Racing, said: “This is the last great historic sporting prize never won by Great Britain. It has always been my ambition to mount a home challenge. The time is right and I am hugely encouraged by the support we are getting, not least from the Duchess of Cambridge. I learned a great deal aboard Oracle in San Francisco and I would not be challenging if I did not believe we have a real chance of winning this time.”

Ainslie became the world’s most successful Olympic sailor after winning a fourth gold medal in London 2012, and quickly turned his attention to his long term ambition – winning the America’s Cup for Britain. In 2013, Ainslie became the first Briton to be part of a winning America’s Cup team in 110 years with ORACLE TEAM USA. He played a vital role in one of the greatest comebacks sport has ever seen, overturning an 8:1 deficit to Team New Zealand, and allowing the USA to retain the trophy. Now Ainslie is planning to take the trophy from the Americans in 2017, and bring the America’s Cup back to Britain with his team, Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR).

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35th America's Cup, Sir Ben Ainslie secures funding for British challenge

From the following article on the uk telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/sailing/10820934/Sir-Ben-Ainslie-prepares-to-unveil-Americas-Cup-team.html

While potential America’s Cup challengers wait for details of the 35th America’s Cup to be announced, Sir Ben Ainslie has secured the private seed funding for a British campaign, to be unveiled next month.

It will be difficult for him to go ahead with the next phase of the Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) campaign - raising the £100m commercial sponsorship - until he has seen the protocol governing the Cup, which is currently being agreed by Cup holders Oracle Team USA and official challengers Team Australia.

The protocol, which was due to be announced in March but has been promised for disclosure next week, will contain the rules for the next event, including plans for a 62-foot foiling wing-sailed catamaran, a similar but smaller version of the high speed AC72 used so dramatically in San Francisco last year.

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35th America's Cup, Sir Ben Ainslie awaits details of AC35 protocol before decision on whether to mount British Challenge

 Extract from the following article on mysailing news:

http://www.mysailing.com.au/news/sir-ben-ainslie-waiting-on-ac35-format-before-decision-to-mount-british-challenge

Sir Ben Ainslie waiting on AC35 format before decision to mount British challenge

06 Apr 2014

Respected yachting writer Sruart Alexander of Britain's The Independent says a British challenge is not guaranteed at the 35th America's Cup, despite some excellent responses from sponsors to Sir Ben Ainslie's initial approaches. Alexander writes:

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34th America's Cup, Gary Jobson interviews Ben Ainslie of Oracle Team USA Parts 1,2 and 3

Links to sailing.org 

 

Jobson Meets Ainslie

Having sat down with ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill, ISAF Vice-President met with Ben Ainslie (GBR) shortly afterwards.
 
Ainslie was drafted in to replace John Kostecki mid-way through the 34th America's Cup on-board ORACLE TEAM USA and played a key part in one of the finest sporting comebacks of all time.
part 1

http://www.sailing.org/news/37238.php

part 2

http://www.sailing.org/news/37243.php

part 3

http://www.sailing.org/news/37250.php

Extreme Sailing Series update, JP Morgan/Ben Ainslie Racing to compete in the 2014 series

 From the following article on the JP Morgan/Ben Ainslie Racing website

http://bar.americascup.com/news/615/sir-ben-ainslies-j-p-morgan-bar-to-enter-extreme-sailing-series-2014-2

Sir Ben Ainslie’s J.P. Morgan BAR to enter Extreme Sailing Series 2014

Sir Ben Ainslie has announced the continued partnership with long term sponsors J.P. Morgan who will support Ben Ainslie Racing’s (BAR) entry into the Extreme Sailing Series 2014 (ESS). In addition to this, J.P. Morgan also announced that their title sponsorship of the iconic Round the Island Race will continue to reside with J.P. Morgan Asset Management for a further two-year period up to and including 2016. These announcements came at the annual London Boat Show on the stand, exhibiting BAR’s AC45 that broke the Round the Island Race Multihull record last year.

Also revealed were three of the four sailors who will compete with Ainslie in the Extreme Sailing Series 2014: Team GB teammates and Beijing Olympic Gold Medallist’s, Paul Goodison and Pippa Wilson, alongside bowman Matt Cornwell, a previous Match Racing World Champion with Ainslie. The final crew member will be revealed before the first event of the season in Singapore.

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Sir Ben Ainslie and the JP Morgan BAR AC45 catamaran to be at the London Boat show 8th of January

A snippet from the Round the Island Race (UK) facebook page.  Sir Ben Ainslie and the JP Morgan BAR AC45 to be at the London boat show on 8th of January.

https://www.facebook.com/roundtheisland

STAR OF THE SHOW!
 
London Boat Show, Excel Wed 8th January 2014. Join us for an exclusive Q&A session with the one & only Sir Ben Ainslie and see his AC45 JP Morgan BAR.

America's Cup News, Sir Ben Ainslie seeks to raise funds for a UK based America's Cup challenge

From the following article on Americascup.com

http://www.americascup.com/en/news/5/athletes/18541/ainslie-if-there-was-ever-a-time-to-do-it-its-now

Ben Ainslie, the British Olympic hero who came on board ORACLE TEAM USA as tactician and helped guide the American defender to victory in the America’s Cup last month is on the stump trying to raise money for a British challenge.

He told the BBC’s Radio 5 that the ORACLE TEAM USA comeback story had generated massive interest in the Cup both in Britain and around the world. Since stepping off the boat, victorious, on September 25, he has been working to convert that interest into money for a British challenge.

“There’s a lot of support for sailing in this country. The excitement from this last event, the people who would be interested in backing a team like this, if there was ever a time to do it, it’s now,” he said. “There’s been a huge response and I’ve been really excited by non-sailors in the UK who have really taken to the sport.

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34th America's Cup, Iain Percy and Ben Ainslie reflect on the tragic loss of Andrew "Bart" Simpson and the future

 From the following article on sportsvibe.co.uk

http://www.sportsvibe.co.uk/articles/sailing-and-on-water/exclusive-for-ainslie-and-me-bart-s-death-is-bigger-than-an-amazing-america-s-cup-says-iain-percy-28361/

Iain Percy has revealed that while Team Oracle USA celebrated their historic America’s Cup win on Wednesday night in San Francisco the man who played such a huge part in turning near certain defeat into victory only had thoughts for the late Andrew “Bart” Simpson, his great friend and fellow British Olympic sailor.

Sir Ben Ainslie could have enjoyed the moment he had dreamt of all his life, being a major player in a successful America’s Cup project, but while the drinks were flying and backs understandably slapped after “Team Oracle USA” had come back from a supposedly unassailable 8-1 down to beat “Emirates New Zealand” 9-8, Ainslie sat with Percy to honour their lost friend.

Simpson lost his life when Percy’s “Artemis” boat capsized in San Francisco Bay during training on May 9th, a freak accident that left both Percy and Ainslie considering their futures in sport. Both continued, with Percy now team Manager of Artemis as they look ahead to the next America’s Cup, and Ainslie the hero of the sailing world, but Simpson is clearly never far from their thoughts.

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