The following is written by James Boyd
At the end of the year BMW will bring to a close its longstanding partnership with Oracle Racing and thereby end its involvement in the America’s Cup. This is by mutual agreement of both partners. Both parties set ambitious goals and achieved the ultimate objective: winning the America’s Cup.
BMW has partnered BMW Oracle Racing since 2002. Technology and skills have transferred freely between the automaker and sailing team, most notably in the fields of structural engineering and high-modulus composite construction. The result was celebrated in the February when the team’s wing sail trimaran USA 17, the fastest yacht in the history of the America’s Cup, won the 33rd Match with a 2:0 victory off Valencia, Spain.
“On the design and engineering front, BMW engineers set new benchmarks in terms of intelligent lightweight design,” said Ralf Hussmann, General Manager BMW Sports Marketing and Brand Cooperation. “In winning the 33rd America’s Cup, we achieved all of our ambitious goals. We will continue to be involved in the sport on a national level.”
“The America’s Cup combines a technological challenge with a sporting one and success is measured by the result on the race course,” added Russell Coutts CEO of BMW Oracle Racing “In that sense, both the team and BMW are proud that our collaboration resulted in victory.”
“WE ARE IN THE RED ZONE”
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is working around the clock in a last-ditch
effort to keep the city’s bid for the America’s Cup alive – even as Larry
Ellison openly courts Newport, R.I. “We are in the red zone,” Newsom said
Tuesday evening. San Francisco’s bid for the 2012 race took a sudden dive
last week when Team Ellison began talking very publicly with Newport about
holding the race there.
“I would like to believe that our deal was not used as a negotiating
strategy to leverage a deal in Rhode Island,” said Supervisor Ross
Mirkarimi, a key backer of San Francisco’s bid. That’s exactly what is
happening, however. Although everyone is trying to keep on the high road,
the folks at City Hall are anything but smiles as they try to deal with
Ellison’s group.
According to Newsom, the negotiations are not over what piers to use or how
much public money to spend, but rather about tax increment financing and
other financial details. “This is a billion-dollar economics package, with
thousands of jobs and a big investment by their organization. I can
understand their need for certainty,” Newsom said.
“I’ve been on the phone steadily for the past five days,” the mayor said.
“The one thing we can’t afford to do is get petulant and throw up our hands
or start pointing fingers.” Besides, there will be plenty of time for that
if Ellison raises the anchor and heads east. — SF Chronicle,
METAPHORS: San Francisco supporters should be concerned about Newsom’s
comment of being “in the red zone.” This phrase, which references a football
team’s ability to score inside the 20 yard line, has not been a strength of
his town’s team. As of December 23rd, the San Francisco 49ers ranked 23rd
out of 32 NFL teams in red zone scoring percentage. As for Newport, which
typically cheers for the New England Patriots, their team is ranked third
overall.
MORE NEWSOM: “They (GGYC) seemed dissatisfied with some key components of
our bid,” said Newsom. “We’ve been working aggressively behind the scenes to
address those concerns.” Newsom would not say what specifically changed, but
the Board of Supervisors has given the Mayor’s Office the power to make
amendments as long as the major components of the agreement remain intact.
— SF Examiner: http://tinyurl.com/SFE-122210
RHODE ISLAND RALLY: Supporter came out for a Rally to Host the 2013
America’s Cup on Wednesday morning at the Marriott in Newport, RI, where
Sail Newport Executive Director Brad Read encouraged the crowd to embrace
this opportunity. “We believe in Narragansett Bay as the premier tourist
attraction that Rhode Island has,” said Read. “We want to make sure that we
run the best events, the most worldwide recognizable events that we can. I
think Narragansett Bay is the perfect backdrop for the America’s Cup.” Watch
video from the event here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF2drHLbkSQ
MORE READ: Sailing World magazine’s Stuart Streuli caught up with Brad after
the rally to grill him on the details. Here is the interview:
TICK TOCK: The America’s Cup defender Golden Gate Yacht Club is required by
the Protocol for the 34th America’s Cup to declare the venue location by
December 31st. While there are provisions to amend the Protocol so as to
extend this deadline, it would not be a popular move. GGYC is already
considered to have a technical advantage, thus challenging teams are eager
to focus their design strategy on the selected venue. Additionally, the
selected venue will determine whether prospective challengers can seek
suitable sponsorship for them to enter the event. —
