Maseratis
for the Alinghi Team
?
(12/17/03) (source
: Maserati)
Last week, Skipper and Executive Director of
Alinghi, Russell Coutts, and Marketing Manager, Nick
Masson, took the time to visit Maserati in Modena
during their stay in Italy.
Greeted in the new showroom by Maserati CEO, Antonello
Perricone, the pair were able to admire the entire
range of the Trident vehicles – the Spyder, Coupé
and Quattroporte – and lost themselves in the endless
personalisation options.
They were then taken on a tour of the factory where
they stopped by the production line and took the wheel
of a Spyder and a Coupé to move on to the Panini Museum
to view its collection of classic Maserati cars.
In Auckland, the Modena Italy based builder of high
performance sports cars was the official car supplier
for the Mascalzone Latino.
Russell
Coutts focused on the Team Alinghi (12/15/03) (source
: Le
Figaro)
As the rumors mills talk about dissension in
the Alinghi team, the time has come for Russell
Coutts to set things right.
"AC Management and Alinghi are separate entities",
Russell Coutts said. "My job is to develop
the best possible team and to defend the Cup, not
to organize it".
When Michel Bonnefous is in charge of the event,
Russell Coutts has shouldered the responsibility
of running the Alinghi's sailing Team in a new challenge
: to become the first european team to defend successfully
the America's Cup.
To do it, the three-Time Winner of the America's
Cup built up a very strong program throughout 2007,
signing about 60 in long-term contracts. 30 people
already work full-time within the team.
"I can't guarantee victory", he said.
"But there are certain things that one can
control. As appreciating the things we will do or
concentrating on what we know and do best. With
that, We have good chance to win".
While the majority of syndicate continue to look
for money, Alinghi is continuing its inexorable walk
toward the 32nd America's Cup.
The SGS Group (co-sponsor of the team) already starts
preparing the next step and by the next summer the
equipment will be In Valencia, ready for a new training
session.
In addition to logistic responsibilities, the Swiss
company will contribute to whole operational operations
in a significant manner (housing, schools of the children...).
Alinghi
say Coutts still the team boss (12/01/03) (source
: Stuff.co.nz.com)
New Zealand yachtsman
Russell Coutts is still leading the America's Cup-holding
Alinghi syndicate, a spokesman said today, denying
worldwide rumours he has been sacked.
Alinghi spokesman Bernard Schopfer said he had fielded
about 200 phone calls since the website sailinganarchy.com
posted a report saying "Coutts and Alinghi team owner
Ernesto Bertarelli may have come apart".
"We are in the process of slight changes and probably
(design team co-ordinator) Grant Simmer will take
more responsibility in the management of the team,
so Russell can concentrate more on the sailing," Schopfer
said.
Sailinganarchy.com drew its conclusion that Coutts
had been sacked because he was "conspicuous in his
absence at the Moet Cup against Oracle BMW in September"
in San Francisco where Alinghi lost, and then was
absent last week when Alinghi announced in Geneva
that Valencia in Spain would be the next America's
Cup venue.
Alinghi had also hired ex-Oracle BMW helmsman Peter
Holmberg, and "curiously this was announced last week
by Alinghi's `director of sport' Jochen Schumann,
not by team CEO Coutts".
The website further added that "word out of Geneva"
was that Simmer, an Australian veteran of America's
Cup yachting, had been tabbed to replace Coutts as
he had Bertarelli's trust and confidence.
But Schopfer said today that despite the recruitment
of Holmberg and appearance of Schumann at the helm
at San Francisco, Coutts would continue to be an Alinghi
helmsman.
"America's Cup teams have many helmsmen. This rumour
started because Russell gave the helm to Jochen Schumann
in San Francisco and then when the next Cup venue
was announced Russell was not there – he did not need
to be," Schopfer said.
"But he was at the big press conference last Monday
when other changes were announced, with Peter Holmberg."
(see picture above).
Swiss
Richest list : Bertarelli is fourth (11/25/03) (source
: Tribune
de Genève)
According to the last edition of the Swiss business
magazine "Bilan", Ernesto Bertarelli is
fourth on a list of the 300 richest people in Switzerland.
The 38-year-old chairman of alpine biotech firm Serono
(and a director at UBS) is worth FS10/11 billion (€6,5/7
billion), up FS2 billion from a year ago (peak was
FS14 billion in 2001).
The
new Team Alinghi is on track (11/22/03) (source
: Alinghi)
Team Alinghi today confirmed that
it has signed helmsman Peter Holmberg to join the
team's afterguard and announced its new partners for
their America's Cup 2007 campaign : UBS and Infonet
(main partners), Audemars Piguet, SGS and Nespresso
(co-sponsors).
Thus, three of Alinghi's partners from the 2003 Cup
remain with the team, while Nespresso and SGS represent
two new co-sponsors joining for the next campaign.
Three additional co-sponsors will also join the team
in the near future along with official suppliers who
provide the team with crucial support. EPFL remains
the scientific partner of the team.
SGS
Group joins the Swiss "family of four" (11/22/03) (source
: Le
Temps)
Team Alinghi have signed the SGS
Swiss Group to his "family of four" sponsorship spot
left vacant by the Riri Group (the others are UBS,
Infonet and Audemars-Piguet).
The Société Générale de Surveillance Group is the
clear global leader and innovator in verification,
testing and certification services. Founded in 1878,
SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for the
highest standards of expertise and integrity.
With 32 000 employees, SGS operates a network of almost
1200 offices, subsidiaries and laboratories around
the world.
