Only six players are present in Marseille "but
several others - Italian, Swedish, British or German
- should officialize their participation", Marcus
Hutchinson, a spokesman for the America's Cup management,
said.
The German press seems to side with him, announcing
that Willi Kuhweide, gold medallist in finn 1962,
will lead a new campaign in Germany for the AC 2007.
Sponsors are found, but earliest next week they will
be announced. A lot of speculations now coming up
in germany who will be the sailors and the afterguard
and with which old boat they will start.
Jochen Schümann keeps clear from the german boat,
cause of his engagement at Alinghi.
The
Team Pinta Racing is not yet dead (04/18/04)
(source
: Yacht.de)
Michael Illbruck confirmed that
Team New Zealand have acquired the use of GER 68 but
said it's not the end of the German campaign. Maybe
it's even the opposite.
The content of the deal is that Team NZ will use GER
68 for free in exchange for the works necessary to
finish the hull and add the rigg. After several trials
session, she will be returned "in sailing condition"
in 2006 to the Pinta Racing.
For that reason, one of the anonymous teams presents
in Valencia was the Pinta Racing (the "German/Polish"
one).
No second place for Team
New Zealand (03/22/04)
(source
: NZ
Herald)
Team
New Zealand have enough money to challenge for the next
America's Cup, but managing director Grant Dalton says
the team will not go unless they have sufficient funds
to bring the cup back.
The syndicate had set a deadline of March 31 to decide
whether a challenge was viable, but nine days out from
that deadline Dalton said they required more time to
ensure they had the best possible chance of winning
the cup.
"With the 31st of March nine days away I am saying basically,
and really, I guess, people will have to trust me, that
we are at a level that we can go but won't go until
we are at a level we can bring the Cup back," said Dalton.
The main stumbling block remains the securing of major
overseas sponsorship, which is still under negotiation.
And Dalton said it was important to show sponsors that
a team already exists - and is taking a challenge seriously.
"I think it's important that we show that we are deadly
serious about this, and that it's not about a bunch
of guys sitting around just trying to raise some money",
Dalton told the news conference. "It's about a
living, breathing, heaving America's Cup team which
is already on the road".
Along with the boat-building programme Dalton confirmed
they have signed on 60 people in both the design and
sailing teams. Thirty-five per cent of them are new,
although names were not mentioned.
Team New Zealand have an extensive programme mapped
out for the next year, funded with money from private
benefactors and past sponsors such as Toyota, Telecom,
ASB, Xerox and Air New Zealand.
If the money is forthcoming Team New Zealand could be
sailing as early as June in preparation for regattas
in europe and by next summer plan to be two-boat testing
in the Hauraki Gulf
As well as strengthening work to NZL81 and NZL82, the
syndicate have acquired the use of GER68, a boat built
by German syndicate Illbruck for the last cup. The yacht
was never raced, because Illbruck were forced to withdraw
through a lack of funding.
It will allow Team New Zealand to train on a boat which,
due to its narrowness, is similar to those of Alinghi
and Oracle.
Michael
Illbruck confirms withdrawal (10/13/03)
(source
: Yacht.de)
As one could fear, german businessman Michael
Illbruck announced today that his Pinta Racing syndicate
has stopped all americas cup activities for a second
time.
The withdrawal followed a recent decision by the german
car maker Audi to withdraw its support for the project,
said Michael Illbruck.
With the economic downturn, it is not surprising that
germans corporations are cutting down expenditures,
including sponsorship expenses, as much as possible.
The German project for the America's Cup was cancelled
in 2002, also for a lack of sponsorship.
German
Pinta Racing in the Limbo (10/08/03)
(source
: Various)
While two Challenge are emerging in Spain and Australia,
Germany's first-ever America's Cup campaign appears
to be in the dark and it is now probable that the Michael
Illbruck's effort is dead in the water.
"We are giving ourselves until this spring, likely May,
to make it happen", John Kostecki said in June. "If
not, we're going to stop raising money".
He has joined Oracle BMW Racing's afterguard in August,
taking along with him his friend Ross Halcrow, trimmer
and sail program manager on board illbruck.
In september, Glenn Bourke, former illbruck Challenge's
Chief Executive Officer, has accepted the position as
Chief Executive of the Volvo Ocean Race which will start
from Europe in 2005.
In a recent interview with Laurie Fullerton, Russell
Coutts said that Dane Michael Richelsen and Spanish
Juan Vila now join forces with Alinghi. They were were
respectively head designer and navigator for the german
Challenge.
Team
NZ lose out in bid for Kostecki (08/09/03)
(source
: NZ
Herald)
Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton
said yesterday that he understood veteran American sailor
John Kostecki had signed with Chris Dickson's Oracle
BMW Racing.
"It is unfortunate from our point of view, but it is
not the end of the world," Dalton said. "He would have
been a good one to have, but there are other people
and we are already pursuing other options."
Kostecki would be have been a tremendous asset to Team
New Zealand, particularly in the back of the boat.
"I don't know what it came down to, but you would have
to imagine money was part of it" said Dalton, ". "However,
it might have come to the fact he is from San Francisco
and so is Oracle."
Dalton said he assumed New Zealander Ross Halcrow would
follow his long-time friend Kostecki to Oracle.
Team New Zealand now had 37 people signed (in the areas
of sailing, design, sails, rigs and administration)
but Dalton said it was too early to comment on any of
the signings.
Team
NZ set to miss out on John Kostecki (07/31/03)
(source
: Sports
Illustrated)
Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton said Thursday
he is no longer confident of signing American yachtsman
John Kostecki to a key role in a 2007 America's Cup
campaign.
Dalton held contract talks in New Zealand and the United
States with Kostecki, whose successes include an Olympic
silver medal, victory in the Volvo Round the World Race,
a world soling championship and two America's Cup campaigns
with American syndicates.
He had been initially hopeful of making Kostecki one
of the leading members of New Zealand's sailing team.
But Dalton said Thursday he had little hope of topping
bids for the American's services from other, big-budget
campaigns.
Kostecki is being pursued by Oracle, the San Francisco
syndicate of software magnate Larry Ellison, and that
Team New Zealand was unlikely to be able to match their
offer, Dalton said.
"I'm not confident of finalizing the deal with John,"
he told the Associated Press from Auckland. "Everyone
has options and John has obviously got a few. I'd say
it's a 50-50 thing at the moment. Good guys like John
are under offer from all over the place and he's probably
got a variety of options to consider."
Kostecki
close to signing said Dalton (06/26/03)
(source
: NZ
City)
Team New Zealand has confirmed it is close to
signing up champion American sailor John Kostecki.
Syndicate boss Grant Dalton held talks with Kostecki,
and former Team New Zealand crew member Ross Halcrow,
last month but says nothing has been signed yet.
He says the meetings went well and they have agreed
to a deal in principal. Dalton says Kostecki is arguably
the best tactician in the world at the moment. H
Dalton says 20 sailors and designers have contracts
in front of them at the moment and also has announced
his intentions to sail Team New Zealand in a build-up
America's Cup regatta off Newport in the US in a year's
time (the Newport event will be the first of the seeding
regattas for the 2007 America's Cup).
