by Jane Eagleson
At a press conference at the team base in Valencia, Spain, the CEO of BMW ORACLE Racing, Russell Coutts (NZL), said his team is ready to go, ahead of Monday’s first race in the 33rd America’s Cup Match.
“We’re only a few days away from this historic Match and I can tell you everyone on our team is really excited to get to the racing,” he told the assembled media.
“We’re looking forward to what should be a great Match. I think these are two very exciting and demanding boats… Now, it’s great to be preparing for a race in a few days time.”
The founder of the team and a member of the afterguard, Larry Ellison (USA), said he’s looking forward to what he thinks will be one of the greatest regattas in the long history of the America’s Cup.
“This is extreme sailing. This is the ‘X’ version of the America’s Cup. It’s the limits of technology,” he said. “These two boats are the fastest sailboats that have ever been built and they’re going to match off one against the other. I think it’s going to be the greatest spectacle in sailing history and I’m very proud to be a part of it.”
For skipper James Spithill (AUS), the upcoming race is the culmination of nearly three years of work. He can’t wait to get started.
“It’s a dream to be honest. If you told me two and half years ago I’d be sailing a 90 by 90 trimaran with a 68 metre wing sail, I’d think you were crazy,” he said. “We’ve become a little bit accustomed to the boat, but I just took my father down there this morning to show him, and he was just blown away with it. This has been an incredible experience.”
The press conference was streamed live on the internet and is available on both www.bmworacleracing.com [and SailRaceWin] on demand. This was the first live streaming event of many. On Thursday, the team announced its “Race Day” coverage, featuring live, original programming on the race days of the 33rd America’s Cup Match.
Racing in the 33rd America’s Cup Match is scheduled to start at 10:06 CET (04:06 EST, 01:06 PST) on Monday February 8.
BMW ORACLE Racing
Saturday 6 February 2010
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