“We would be very happy if the cup was in New Zealand”

Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, owner of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team, which was officially presented last week as a contender for the 37th America’s Cup that will be held in 2024, They reiterated that they “love to sail in New Zealand”, and if the next edition is in Auckland, they will be “very satisfied”.

“Whatever the case, we are ready to sail wherever the defending champion wants, but the sooner we know that, the better,” he added.

America’s Cup winner in 2003 (Auckland) and 2007 (Valencia), where he also lost in 2010 against the American “Oracle”, Alinghi returns to the Copa America after an 11-year absence.

In addition, it is doing this jointly with the Red Bull Racing team and they have benefited from the technological expertise of one of the Formula One giants who have just won the world title.

One of the cards Bertarelli put on the table is The presence of veteran New Zealand sailor Brad Butterworth with a key role in the team, perhaps the general manager himself.

Born in Te Awamoto, New Zealand, 62-year-old Butterworth will bring some “old school” values ​​to Alinghi’s latest challenge. He won two trophies with Team New Zealand (1995 and 2000) and two with Alinghi (2003 and 2007).

Bertarelli admitted:It was time for the return of ‘Alinghi’ as we watched the Copa America evolve into the new generation of ‘chips’. I was intrigued by the giant ‘chip’ Monopods that the New Zealand team presented at the latest edition of the Cup in Auckland.“.

“It’s the pure science of match racing (regatta vs boat racing); that’s the legacy of the America’s Cup,” he specified.

In 2003, taking advantage of a change in nationality rules regarding crew, ‘Alinghi’ hired Russell Coutts, captain of the New Zealand team that had already won the America’s Cup for New Zealand in 1995 and 2000.

Along with Coates they signed up with other top New Zealand sailors, Like Murray Jones, Curtis Bloit, Dean Phipps or Simon Dobney, including New Zealand team strategist Brad Butterworth and key players such as Australia’s Grant Semmer, an America’s Cup veteran, join in as managing director and chief designer.

Now, Alinghi’s owner says he feels comfortable with the new, stricter citizenship rules being introduced for this upcoming version as he sees, “Now Switzerland has sailors to compete, based on their successes in other classes of ‘chip’ sailing.”

“There is a generation of Swiss sailors who were inspired by the successes of the America’s Cup “Alinghi” in 2003 and 2007 and now it’s their time‘, qualified.

The Swiss team’s plan now is to get the AC75 from the latest version by sailing next year according to the rules, to increase their knowledge of the class.

Butterworth has advanced that the Alinghi Red Bull Racing “could follow the cycling option (the bikes New Zealand used in 2017, since leg strength is again legal”.

“I think that’s a good thing for Switzerland. There are very good cyclists in this country who could end up running this boatThe New Zealand navigator concluded.