Larry Ellison's BMW Oracle Racing team is leading a drive to stage the America's Cup every two years instead of four, a switch that may make it difficult for new syndicates to break into sailing's most prestigious event.

Most of the 12 teams competing this year are "strongly in favor'' of a two-year cycle because it would cut costs and provide a more regular revenue stream, said Tom Ehman, a director of the team led by Ellison, chief executive officer of Oracle Corp., the world's third-largest software maker.

"You would get more interest, more excitement, more events in a shorter period of time, more television, more revenue and less money going out the door,'' Ehman, a veteran of nine America's Cups, said in an interview at the London Boat Show. "It's a much better deal.''

"The world has changed, people's attention span is shorter,'' he added. "In the America's Cup, when we had this four-year cycle it just went into the big abyss.''

The four-year cycle was designed to give new syndicates time to gather sponsors, boat designers and crew. Two years would give new teams less time to mount a threat to those who already have their infrastructures in place.

Less preparation time "gives consistency to the existing teams whether they are rich or poor", said Paco Latorre, spokesman for race organizer America's Cup Management. "It doesn't discard new teams but it favors existing teams.''

This is an opinion that seems to be shared by James Pleasance, managing director of Force 10 Marketing, which specializes in sailing sponsorships.

"For new challengers to raise the sort of money they need to be competitive against these very well-funded teams, it would be a tighter time frame,'' he said in an interview. "However, a shorter cycle will boost interest in the cup.''

Businessman Keith Mills said the new British team Origin he's trying to put together at a cost of 120 million euros ($155 million) could probably finish no better than third if the next edition were in 2009. "The second one, in 2011, we aim to win".