New applications are being evaluated which could increase the number of (5) teams competing, but there is no shortage of tension with the legal battle between Ratcliffe and Ainslie over control of the AC75
The charm of the America’s Cup is the sequence of twists and turns which certainly do not help the regularity of the competition but at the same time create interest. Yesterday, March 31, was supposed to be the deadline – already delayed by two months – to submit entries but with an official note the America’s Cup Partnership confirmed “that further entries have been submitted for the 38th America’s Cup Louis Vuitton and that the acceptance process is ongoing. Out of respect for the new teams, the ACP will await their individual confirmations and public announcements before publishing the final list”. It means that given the concrete possibility of having a few more boats than the five registered, further margin of time is left to expand the fleet. It is not easy to understand what the nationalities and names of the new teams will be, only rumors: the Australians with the champion Tom Slingsby, already popular in recent weeks; the Czech entrepreneur Karel Komárek, owner of a Wallycento and involved in taking over the Ferretti Group. Someone dusts off the Americans from Riptide Racing but in reality it seems that American Magic has handed over all its know-how to Komarek, thanks to the charisma of its trusted man, the American Ken Read. And in this case, it would be a serious challenge.
for a few
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In any case, the America’s Cup of the third decade is proving to be a little (expensive) game for very few, often struggling with problems that are not just economic. In England, the legal action that Sir James Ratcliffe – Mister Ineos so to speak – brought against Sir Ben Ainslie to force him to return the 180 million pound AC75, currently in the hands of Athena Racing, is taking center stage. Ainslie, according to the Daily Telegraph, claims to be the owner of the AC75 and all assets relating to the 2024 America’s Cup challenge, and has stated that he has full control and ownership over them. The battle, far from noble, between the two baronets surprisingly exploded a year after the dismissal of the Olympic ace by Ratcliffe, ‘annoyed’ by the fact that his ex-employee had managed to maintain the role of Challenger of Record even after the end of the relationship and set up a new campaign financed by the private equity fund Oakley Capital. It appears to be an attempt at posthumous revenge as Britannia – the boat in question – has been renamed GB1 and is being restyled at an undisclosed location. The legal action of the wealthy businessman, according to many, will achieve nothing, but it obviously annoys Athena Racing – the name of the team – which finds itself in an open dispute over the main technical tool for racing.
the team
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Incidentally, Sir Ben Ainslie is moving well in creating the team, in full agreement with its CEO, the expert Ian Walker. It has already chosen the starter at the wheel which is Dylan Fletcher, leader of the SailGP circuit with Emirates Team GBR, and has just hired – surprisingly – the Italian Andrea Tesei. A 34-year-old from Trieste, he was a promising alpine skier before dedicating himself to sailing, with excellent results in the 49er Olympic class. The experience on foil boats opened the doors to Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in 2018: two participations in the America’s Cup as flight controller and wing trimmer. Subsequently, he was part of the Italian team for the SailGP 2025. If Athena Racing seems almost okay for the crew but, as mentioned, it could have problems for the boat, Luna Rossa continues its preparations in view of the Preliminary Regatta in Cagliari, from 21 to 24 May, where it will race with the AC40, the ‘little brother’ of the AC 75. A test to understand which could be the starting line-up and which could be the bench, even if they are missing about 15 months until the Naples event. A video on the official website gave space to four sailors, providing a first clue: the only ones to speak were the legend Peter Burling (who will be able to be on board Luna Rossa, based on the new regulations), the very young talent Marco Gradoni, the two-time Olympic gold medalist Ruggero Tita and Margherita Porro. Radio-banchina says that she will be the one to board the AC75: she would be the first Italian to enter the history of the America’s Cup and the funniest aspect is that the 26-year-old from Brescia was born a sailor on the Iseo and has reaped the first results of a brilliant career here. From the lake to the Regatta par excellence: not bad, really. MAURIZIO BERTERA
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