New Zealand teams shine brightest on sailing’s biggest stage
SAN FRANCISCO (Sept. 4, 2013) – Frenetic aggression and elite racing was the order of the day for the youth sailors of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup on Championship Wednesday, with NZL Sailing Team with Emirates Team New Zealand prevailing over nine other teams from around the world to take the inaugural title on San Francisco Bay.
The New Zealand team was challenged early and often by its fierce rivals on Full Metal Jacket (NZL) and ROFF/Cascais Sailing Team from Portugal, who finished second and third, respectively. These 19-24 year old young guns and future stars of the America’s Cup shined bright to cap off four days of intense racing as they carve out a pathway for themselves into the professional ranks.
The leaderboard was tight throughout the regatta. The 10 youth teams, representing 8 countries, pogoed up and down the points’ table with each race result leading to tense moments on the final day.
In the end, just three points separated second from fifth place. When the Swiss Team won race 7, they became the sixth different crew to claim a race win.
America’s Cup stars were on-hand to eyeball this next generation of talent. Nathan Outteridge of Artemis and Glenn Ashby of ETNZ were impressed by how hard and fast these youth sailors pushed the AC45 catamarans.
“It’s been amazing to actually take the win,” said Peter Burling, the skipper of the New Zealand Sailing Team. “We got a lot better during the racing. It’s quite humbling to do it under the Emirates Team New Zealand banner.”
His rival, Will Tiller, made this a Kiwi one-two on the leaderboard with a strong, consistent performance. “It’s exciting. It’s wet, fast and fun. There’s so much work that has to happen behind the scenes to get to this point. We’ve had to put together everything ourselves, to be self-sufficient. So we’re very proud.”
Swiss skipper Lucien Cujean had an outstanding start in Wednesday’s lone race and led all the way around the track to jump from sixth place to fourth overall, just one point shy of the podium.
The big winner on the day was the ROFF/Cascais Sailing Team, who scored a second place to lift themselves onto the podium ahead of the Swiss and the American Youth Sailing Force who had a disappointing eighth place finish, dropping from third to fifth overall.
Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher, the double Olympic gold medalists who serve as Sport Directors of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, have been a driving force behind the event and are impressed with the level of talent they’ve seen.
“The young guys are amazing. They are racing the boats really hard and the competition is very tough,” Hagara said. “The best team won. But all of the teams have shown massive development. They learned so much here.”
“The sailors are taking a lot out of this, whether they finished in first or in tenth,” said Steinacher. “They’ve seen the way the professionals at the America’s Cup operate and I think they’ve all learned so much about what it takes to succeed at the highest level of our sport.”
One race was sailed on Wednesday with the strong winds whipping up San Francisco Bay well outside the prescribed limit and building further as the day progressed.
Red Bull Youth America’s Cup – Standings
1. NZL Sailing Team with Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 2-RDG-7-3-1-1-4 – 57 points
2. Full Metal Jacket Racing (NZL) 7-1-4-6-6-3-5 – 45 points
3. ROFF/Cascais Sailing Team (POR) 3-6-1-8-8-5-2 – 44 points
4. Team TILT (SUI) 8-5-2-2-9-7-1 – 43 points
5. American Youth Sailing Force (USA) 1-7-3-5-7-4-8 – 42 points
6. Swedish Youth Challenge (SWE) 6-2-9-1-4-6-10 – 39 points
7. Objective Australia (AUS) RDG-10-6-10-2-3 – 38 points
8. Next World Energy (FRA) 4-4-8-4-5-9-6 – 37 points
9. All In Racing (GER) 5-8-5-9-3-8-9 – 30 points
10. USA45 Racing (USA) 9-9-10-7-10-10-7 – 15 points
(RDG = redress awarded by International Jury)
Fast facts about the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup
- The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup ran from September 1-4 out of the America’s Cup Village at Marina Green
- The format is fleet racing
- The boats are AC45 catamarans powered by giant wing sails – the same boats used by the America’s Cup teams in the AC World Series from 2011-2013
- Teams are composed of six sailors, aged 19-24, who represent their country through a nationality rule.
More than 70 territories broadcasted the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.Replays are available internationally on both the America’s Cup and Red Bull YouTube channels, as well as within the America’s Cup app. Additional b-roll footage, web clips, photos and stories are available at the Red Bull Sailing Newsroom.
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About the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup
For the first time in the history of the America’s Cup, young, talented sailors have a clear pathway towards competing for one of the most prestigious trophies in sport.
Racing takes place in the same high performance, wing-sailed AC45 catamarans that are used in the America’s Cup World Series. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup happened September 1-4, 2013, in San Francisco, during the heart of the 34th America’s Cup racing season.
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