A
syndicate or nothing for the Spanish (10/04/04) (sources
: El
Periodico & El
Mundo)
According to the newspepper "El Périodico", the
Spanish energy company Iberdrola should be the main
factor in deciding the merger of the two Spanish projects
for the 32nd America's Cup.
"Iberdrola is actually interested by the America's
Cup but no decision has been taken yet", the
Company's representatives said. "We are studying
all the possibilities".
An alliance which is highly supported by the Spanish
Olympic Champion Luis Doreste (who is being tested
by Luna Rossa Challenge in Valencia).
"What a shame if a Spanish project is not created",
he said before he explained that the only solution
for the Teams is "to unite and to work together
to reach an economical and sport agreement".
After 6 months of training in Spain and for the
first time in an Official race since December 2002,
Team Luna Rossa will set sail under the flag of the
Yacht Club Italiano, the most ancient Sailing Club of
the Mediterranean Sea.
"This is our first race after Cup's last edition",
skipper Francesco de Angelis said. "Until today
we have developed the Technical Project with a reduced
Team. Now, for the first time, we can count on an enlarged
Sailing Team".
"Our goal of these races is to know and test new
sailors in order to define, with a meaningful turn-over,
the Group that will take part to the next phase",
de Angelis added. "During Valencia's regattas we'll
have onboard wellknown sailors Luis Doreste and Peter
Evans."
Doreste was born in Las Palmas - Spain, in 1961. He
won Olympic gold medal in 470 class in Los Angeles (1984)
and Olympic gold medal in Flying Dutchman class in Barcelona
(1992).
Evans was born in Devonport - New Zealand, in 1961.
He has participated to 4 editions of America's Cup,
winning in 2000 as Tactician onboard Team New Zealand.
Time
is short said Pedro Campos (10/01/04) (source
: Masmar.com)
"With the same desire to see a Spanish syndicate,
we are all at the same point", Pedro Campos said in
the spanish newspaper Levante. "Each one of the project
was acting in his own way to materialize his team".
As the challenge deadline is 17 December 2004, the America's
Cup veteran seems to believe that a merger between the
two parallel Spanish projects could be the only solution.
"It is necessary to make a decision before December",
he concluded. "After that date, we will incur a late
fee" (challengers will be accepted until 29 April, 2005
if accompanied by a late fee of €200,000).
Spanish
debates about the Mas Latino (08/18/04) (source
: abc.es)
The alternative Spanish project led by Pedro Campos
continues to move forward into the Real Club Náutico
de Valencia but is far from making unanimity.
Everybody agrees that the Alinghi's "sign of
vulnerability" is a good news for the challengers
but there is some concerns about the new team viability,
especially concerning the money hunt.
Without the appointment from the valencian yacht club,
the Pedro Campos' idea is just an idea.
Introducing
El Reto Challenge in Palma
(08/09/04) (source
: Masmar.com)
At a press conference held today at Palma, Agustín
Zulueta and José Luis Doreste detailed their
plans After weeks of speculation and rumours.
The Real Club Náutico de Barcelona would have
submit the required entry to AC Management, as the 5th
Challenger in the race for the 2007 America's Cup Challenge,
naming El Reto Challenge as their team.
With a budget of €60 million, El Reto intends to
purchase three IACC yachts from the former OneWorld
Challenge - two 2003 generation boats (USA-65 et 67)
and one 2000 version (USA-51) - along with containers
of associated equipment.
Agustín Zulueta also introduced his crew, which
will include Fernando León, Juan Luis Wood, Antonio
Piris, Luis Doreste, Laureano Wizner, Nano Negrín,
Diego Guigou, Víctor Mariño, David Madrazo,
Juan luis Páez, Carlos Martínez, Gonzalo
Araújo, José María Torcida, Jan
Santana, Juan Galmés, Domingo Manrique and David
Vera.
Speculation that the syndicate was preparing to sign
with the Spanish electricity utility Iberdrola as major
sponsor, with Caja Madrid (the second largest savings
bank in Spain) and Mahou (One of Spain's largest brewers)
as secondary sponsors.
The team hopes to be racing in Valencia's Louis Vuitton
regattas but nothing is yet signed. It's understood
that the main reason is that iberdrola wished a syndicate
under valencian burgee.
Discussions are said to be continuing exploring the
possibility of combining the El Reto Challenge with
the " Mas Latino ", a formative team led by
Pedro Campos and the Real Club Náutico de Valencia.
Fresh from winning the sixth Trofeo SM La Reina
in Valencia, the Spanish skipper Pedro Campos announced
a possibility of Italo-Spanish merger beetween Mascalzone
Latino and the Club Náutico de Valencia.
"Vascoto and Onorato proposed me to create a syndicate
for the America's Cup", Campos said. "But
I required as prerequisite that the team will be based
in Valencia".
Sponsored by the leading Italian mobile operator TIM
in the 31st Cup, the Italian Team - which belongs three
ACC - is loking for a new backer and the Telefonica's
support for Campos could be a good idea.
On the RCN de Valencia side, this is a time for enthusiasm
as Pedro Campos sailed three times (1992, 1995 and 2000)
under the YC Colours.
"Yet virtually any skipper could assemble a competitive
syndicate but Campos showed its skills, what is a guarantee",
said Manuel Casanova, president of the Club Náutico
de Valencia.
On the El Reto Challenge side, the other Spanish Challenge
leaded by Agustín Zulueta, an announcement could
be made in the coming days about a partership with a
"leading Spanish bank".
The
Spanish challenge
is almost certain (05/28/04) (source
: ABC)
According to the Spanish press, the new El Reto
Spanish Challenge is now quite certain to be there
in 2007.
The team led by José Luis Doreste and Agustín
Zulueta, the spanish newspapers affirm, has
found two very generous sponsors and should now be
considered as a very credible project for the 32nd
America's Cup.
The first is Caja Madrid, the second largest savings
bank in Spain with assets of $48 billion. The second
is not known yet but should be an energy company.
According to Marca, the most popular sport newspaper
in Spain, the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona and El
Reto are very well engaged in negotiations evaluating
scenarios on how to best join forces for 32nd America's
Cup.
A
meeting was just held in Barcelona, in the presence
of the King Juan Carlos, beetween the syndicate (Agustín
Zulueta and José Luis Doreste) and the Catalan representatives
on examining the conditions to make the El Reto's
homeport in the Catalan capital.
A
95 percent probability to El Reto (04/06/04) (source
: Liberta
Digital)
The mood within the Spanish camp is very positive.
The team is in final discussions with its main backer
and Luis Doreste assign now a 95 percent probability
to his €50 million project.
"The most important are the last details but
we are very well engaged in our negociation process",
he said. "We should soon be able to sign and
to begin to work with two boats and with the best
Spanish sailors".
The Doreste's syndicate intends to begin training
in Valencia in September.
The
new El Reto close to saying yes (03/31/04) (source
: Las
Provincias)
After a important meeting which was held on March
26, Spanish representatives said they were happy with
progress to date.
The new El Reto Challenge says today it is not far
from signing a major sponsorship deal to give it the
main part of the needed budget to get to the next
America's Cup.
Another good news for the syndicate was the Pedro
Campos’ declaration that he wouldn't participate in
the 32nd America’s Cup.
Two
syndicates under the Spanish colors ? (03/04/04) (source
: Las
Provincias)
Speaking today in the framework of the Sporting
Sponsoring Days organized by the Universidad Cardenal
Herrera CEU, the Real Club Náutico de Valencia’s President
Manuel Casanova considers two Spanish campaigns for
the 32nd America's Cup.
"Doreste and Zulueta [the El Reto Challenge's
leaders] decided that Valencia was not their burgee
and I have no matter with that", he said. "But
if Pedro Campos, who is a great skipper, decides to
lauch a challenge, I am sure that he will find sponsors
and that he will settle in Valencia".
An analysis that the head of the Valencian employers'
organisation Rafaël Ferrando obviously doesn't share.
He said that there is not the time or funding available
to built a boat and that the Spanish had better wait
till 2001.
It should finally be noted that Manuel Casanova bets
on the Americans "because they are without any
win since long years and because they surely will
built a very speed boat".
Former leader of the three Spanish campaign in
the America's Cup (in 1992, 1995 and 2000)
Pedro Campos held a press conference on Thursday in
Valencia, officially devoted to his participation
in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005.
Those who hoped that this competition moves him away
from the new 'El Reto' were undoubtedly disappointed.
The spanish skipper always suffers from the Cup virus.
"I will take part in the America's Cup only with
a significant role because I went there three times
and I won 22 matches", he said (forgetting that
he was deposed as skipper of the Bravo España boat
by the brother Doreste during the 2000 America's Cup).
"Between the World Cup [ie. the Volvo Ocean Race]
and the America's Cup, there will be two years and
it is not very long", added Pedro Campos, whose plan
seems to be very similar to the Illbrück Challenge
concept.
"The two complementary projects could mutually
benefit from each other", he said. "We could
include the infrastructure for the World Cup in our
preparation for the America's Cup".
"The level established by Alinghi is so high
that those who want to keep up with them have to give
a lot", the Spanish skipper explained. "The
money is as important as the delivery".
"I believe that to win the America's Cup it is
not only necessary to invest about 60 or 100 million
euro, but it is necessary to invest it now",
Pedro Campos concluded before stressing that the apparent
difficulties of the new "El Reto" doesn’t surprise
him.
"What would have really surprised me is if they
have already finalized their budgets. My three participations
cost me blood, sweat and tears ".
Confused
situation for
the Spanish challenge
(02/22/04) (source
: Masmar.com)
After they said in December they had secured their
budget (see above), the situation seems to be more
complicated for the new "El Reto".
It's at least the case in Barcelona where, in spite
of the efforts of the mayor Joan Clos, the idea to
use the Cambra de Comerç de Barcelona (chamber of
Commerce of Barcelona) to federate the catalan companies
doesn't give wished results.
Far from being in the same comfortable situation as
Oracle and Alinghi, it's seems that the new "El
Reto" is
(like the others teams) struggling to raise the €70/100
million needed to challenge.
Arabian
sponsor for the Spanish challenge ?
(02/11/04) (source
: Farevela)
From the very first mention of an ‘Arabian prince’
in November (with Paul Cayard and the Monaco Yacht
Club), the rumours mills are spinning overtime churning
out speculation after speculations.
Now, the Spanish newspaper Las Provincias said
the new Spanish Challenge has obtained €40 million
from an Abu Dhabi's Emir, who doesn't
intend to be display neither his name nor any of his
international companies as sponsor on the boat.
According to the same newspaper, an announcement is
expected on February 20 from the Real club nautico
de Barcelona.
