BMW
and Oracle Racing set sail until 2007 (04/27/04) (source
: Oracle
BMW Racing)
The successful course set in 2002 is to be built
upon with the new partnership of BMW and Oracle
Racing. BMW has now entered into a new partnership
until 2007, thereby cementing its long-term commitment
to professional yacht racing.
The partnership was first forged in summer 2002
when Team Oracle Racing, which was founded in 2000,
was renamed and the pairing together entered the
Louis Vuitton Cup 2002/03.
The renewed attempt to win the most prized sailing
trophy in the world in Valencia in 2007 will therefore
be mounted through the tried and tested partnership.
The team has already been making intensive preparations
for the 32nd America’s Cup since last summer, thereby
setting an early course for a successful campaign.
"This is a decision that points the way ahead",
said Chris Dickson, CEO and helmsman of Oracle BMW
Racing. "Our team is extremely pleased that
the extensive commitment of BMW has already been
confirmed at this stage".
"From a sporting perspective, this enables
us to forge ahead with what, to date, has been a
very successful performance at international level."
In the long lead-up to achieving their ambitious
goals, BMW will in future contribute even more expertise
to the team. Increased technology input on the part
of BMW, an expanded personnel contingent, and experts
from the automotive concern have been actively incorporated
throughout the new challenge’s entire development
process.
In terms of body making – an area in which BMW has
been among the forerunners for many years– know-how
is being transferred to yacht racing. Moreover,
BMW will provide its sports marketing expertise
to Oracle BMW Racing.
Following the contract signing in Munich, Michael
Ganal, Member of the Board of Management, BMW AG,
explained the future collaboration.
"This new partnership demonstrates our firm
intention to continue pursuing our successful three-pillar
strategy. Alongside golf and Formula 1, yacht racing
has become firmly established as a major aspect
of our sporting portfolio".
"BMW is also being publicly recognized in connection
with top-level sailing. Throughout the lead-up to
the America’s Cup 2007 in Valencia, BMW will expand
its position as a reliable partner in the Oracle
BMW Racing team and will also increasingly contribute
its multifaceted know-how.”
Oracle
BMW Racing advances quietly (04/04/04)
(source :
Las
Provincias)
As Luna Rossa is almost ready to sail in Valencia,
Oracle BMW Racing is continuing its training session
in Auckland. But the American shore co-ordinator
Grant Davidson is working hard to prepare the Team
arrival.
The agreement with Club
Náutico de Valencia has been signed
since several months and the last details were negotiated
in the last week. The Larry Ellison's Team will
now start the construction of its Base in a yacht
club which will host six syndicates (a new French
team joined the fleet recently).
The date for the team's arrival had not been set
but it should have occurred very soon as Grant Davidson
has rented 16 apartments in the historic downtown
of Valencia and is looking for schools for the Team
members' childrens.
Oracle
buys SM 40s from Maxi Yachts (03/04/04)
(source :
ISAF)
Oracle BMW Racing has recently purchased two
of the specially developed match racing yachts Swedish
Match 40 from Maxi Yachts to be sailed in training
and preparations for the Swedish Match Tour.
Oracle BMW Racing CEO Chris Dickson and his crew will
be the first team to use the new SM 40s in their preparations
for the Swedish Match Tour.
At Maxi Yachts, in Långedrag on the Swedish west coast,
people are really pleased with the prestigious order.
"We are experiencing a solid and positive interest
in our new yacht, from event organizers as well as
from AC-teams, which makes this deal particularly
satisfying", managing director Pehr Edström
said. "Given the addition of the recent deal
with the Portugal Match Cup, I sense that we are gathering
momentum in terms of sales".
"We are currently working on securing SM 40s
for events on the 2005 Swedish Match Tour", he
added, also stating that the SM 40 is adding strength
to Maxi Yachts position in the high performance segment.
Last summer, the new match racer Swedish Match 40
was launched, created by designer and yachting legend
Pelle Petterson and the development team at Maxi Yachts.
The yacht is intended to be mass-produced as an advanced
sports craft for the top teams in the world, primarily
for use in the Swedish Match Tour events around the
world.
Already the event in Cascais, Portugal has bought
six Swedish Match 40s to their recently started Match
Race Centre, and several more events are interested
to do the same.
For Oracle BMW Racing, the Swedish Match 40s offers
evenly matched boats for crew training.
" The SM 40s will provide a good training platform
for our race crew to hone their match racing skills",
Chris DICKSON said. "We can train with the SM
40s for the many Swedish Match Tour events in Europe
this year. The Tour events are part of our overall
training for the America's Cup."
Both the spectacular match racing boats have already
been delivered to the Real Club Nautica de Valencia
in the Spanish town Valencia, chosen to host the next
America's Cup in 2007.
But it will still be some time before they go into
the water. Awaiting the construction works on their
base, the team is instead practising at the old base
in New Zealand. Oracle BMW Racing will start training
with these yachts during the Northern Hemisphere summer
months.
Oracle
starts sailing season in New Zealand (02/19/04) (source
: Oracle
BMW Racing)
The Oracle BMW Racing team starts a two-boat
sailing programme this week from the team’s base
in Auckland, New Zealand.
In a sight reminiscent of a year ago in the Viaduct
Basin, the team’s chase boats lead the America’s
Cup Class boats USA-71 and USA-76 from the dock
each morning.
The team tows out to the Hauraki Gulf for two-boat
sailing where they will collect data for the design
process as well as develop the crew work on the
race boats. Sailing during the New Zealand summer
provides an “off-season” opportunity to get some
time on the water during the Northern Hemisphere
winter.
"This session will be an evolution of
our testing programme and at the same time will
provide further opportunity to trial sailors and
other personnel for the team," said Chris Dickson,
Oracle BMW Racing CEO. "The facilities in Valencia
are not in place yet so we can operate cost efficiently
using the infrastructure and support facilities
that are still here from the 2003 campaign."
The session in New Zealand precedes a regatta schedule
that starts in June with the UBS Trophy in Newport,
Rhode Island. The team then heads to Europe for
the first of three America’s Cup pre-Regattas in
Valencia in September 2004.
The
Lion's Share for Alinghi and Oracle (02/15/04)
(source :
masmar.com)
The "Dársena Interior",
the section of the port that will serve as home
base for the Cup, will not be ready before the end
of the year or the beginning of 2005.
For that reason, a first speed race is now on to
discover provisional solutions that allowed first
training in Valencia imposed by a competing environment.
Here as elsewhere, Alinghi and Oracle have a length
in advance on the other syndicates.
The two billionaires teams agreed with the Club
Náutico de Valencia to use the
3000 square meter place that was the Desafio Español
base for the Louis Vuitton Cup 2000 (the new Spanish
Challenge will compete under a new burgee).
However, it seems that the two megateams are ready
to make a little room in the base for a third team,
which could be the former Défi Areva.
A meeting was recently held about this in Monaco
beetween Pepe Marzal,
the commodore of the Real Club
Náutico de Valencia, and the French
representatives.
The newsletter Course Au Large reports designers
Juan Kouyoumdjian and Michel Kermarec (Prada '03,
LeDefi '00) have signed with OracleBMW, along with
former LeDefi trimmer/designer Dimitri Despierres.
It's a bad signal from the French K-challenge which
has announced in June the signing of Juan Kouyoumdjian
as co-designer with Phil Kaiko.
Tony
Kolb to Oracle BMW Racing ? (01/14/04) (source
: Yacht.de)
According to the German website Yacht.de, the
young German Tony Kolb could join Chris Dickson's
Oracle BMW Racing.
The 26-year old Kolb, born in Germany, furthered
his sailing reputation when he was part of the illbruck
Challenge crew which won the 2002-03 Volvo Ocean
Race.
Hewith his Star skipper Marc Pickel, citing personal
reasons. But does an Olympic hopeful really step
out after hard training and strict weight control
for just personal reasons? .
"My split with Picket doesn't have anything to do
with Oracle BMW Racing", Tony Kolb said. "Yes,
I in Auckland to join the training session which
starts on February 9th and will finish on March
22nd. I figure I have a good chance to get a place
onboard."
Oracle
BMW Racing denies Castellón rumours (12/09/03) (source
: Oracle
BMW Racing)
Exerpts from an e-mail I received today from
Tom Ehman (Oracle BMW Racing) :
"We read with amusement the story regarding plans
for Oracle BMW Racing in Spain.
The week before last, a few of our team members did
have an initial look around Valencia during the brief
venue visit organized by AC Management following the
host city announcement. However, none us had the time
or inclination to venture the 30 miles north to Castellón
de la Plana let alone meet with anyone about basing
our team there.
Aside from some training time in Auckland, we have
no plans to base our team in Castellón de la Plana
nor anywhere else outside of Valencia, even temporarily.
The rest of the article was just as fanciful, including
the purported number of team members we would have
in Valencia by next September for the first pre-Regatta.
This was overstated by at least a factor of 4.
We appreciate Sr. Tirado's enthusiam and efforts to
embrace the America's Cup teams, and it is typical
of the warm and friendly reception we received from
all during our short visit to Spain. Valencia has
every prospect of being an excellent venue and host
for the next Cup".
Oracle
BMW Racing could be based in Castellón (12/07/03) (source
: Masmar)
After nine months of deliberating, Valencia
was now named to host the 2007 event and the syndicates
are looking forward to start training in
Spanish waters.
But the new
Cup Village won't be ready for
tenants until the fall of 2004 at the earliest (with
a projected completion date of 2005 for the entire
project) and, for that reason, everybody is looking
for an alternative place to train.
About thirty miles north of Valencia, the small
port of Castellón de la Plana (about 150.000 inhabitants)
really believes in its chances. Even if efforts
are necessary to host teams with over 100 people
each, Castellón has already experienced the America's
Cup in 1999 when the Spanish and French crew joint
trained there.
Caixa Galicia owner Vincente Tirado affirms he was
contacted by half of the future challenger. And
in particular by Oracle BMW Racing.
"The American team will arrive by the end of
2004 with 350 people", he said. "It will
have to find a place to settle, but also residences
and schools for the childrens ... and this work
already started".
On TVNZ this evening Martin Tasker reported that
Oracle BMW will be based in and will train in Auckland
until at least June 2004.
Negotiations were held with Chris Dickson during the
Moet Cup last September. The shrink wrapped boats,
USA-71 and 76, arrived at the Viaduct Basin from San
Francisco yesterday.
Russell Green, commenting on the reasons for remaining
in Auckland, stated "Nearly all the team are
Kiwi so we’re living here; the infrastructure is here
and the Hauraki Gulf is a great place to sail and
the authorities here have been helpful…"
Peter Kiely (America’s Cup Village) said that ultimately
it was a commercial negotiation with OracleBMW paying
a commercial rent.
Oracle BMW will re-commence training in the New Year
with two boat testing and crew training through February
and March.
For the syndicate to remain in Auckland beyond June
2004 depends on where the America’s Cup and schedule
of pre-regattas are to be held.
