- Competitor in the America's Cup: David Facing Four Giants
The contest for the world's most desired sailing trophy commences. commencement is on Thursday, with five teams embarking from Barcelona to establish who will confront the reigning titlists New Zealand in the 37th America's Cup - the oldest sailing competition worldwide.
This time around, the incumbent champions will participate in the early stages of the challenger round, known as the Louis Vuitton Cup, sans accumulating points. This arrangement was agreed upon between the New Zealanders and the challengers, considering that for this version of the Cup, only a single advanced AC75 vessel is permitted per team. Without this arrangement, the New Zealanders wouldn't have had the chance to conduct comparative tests with an equal vessel until the commencement of the Cup finals, which is six weeks later.
An investment of over 100 million euros
The five challenger hopefuls include Team Ineos Britannia led by four-time Olympic gold medalist Sir Ben Ainslie, Patrizio Bertelli's Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, the US team NYYC American Magic, Ernesto Bertarelli's recently formed Swiss team Alinghi Red Bull Racing, and the French team Orient Express Racing.
The "Orient Express" faces off against the giants, with German-French team leader Stephan Kandler and co-director Bruno Dubois bearing the financial disadvantage. The strong challenger teams function with budgets reaching well over 100 million euros. Kandler states, "We probably have half the budget of the Kiwis and a third of the others."
Despite the budget deficit, Kandler exudes positivity. The 54-year-old, born in Munich, is the driving force behind this late-entry campaign. The French have capitalized on an unusual Cup rule, buying a completed design package from the New Zealanders and enhancing their boat independently.
However, in the last preliminary regatta, the "Orient Express" was unable to surpass sixth and last place. Despite this, Kandler remains optimistic on the eve of Thursday's commencement: "The preliminary regatta provided an excellent opportunity for the Orient Express Racing Team to improve. We've seen that all the teams have narrowed the gap between them more than ever before."
Sailing enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the start of the competition, as the five teams set sail for Barcelona to participate in the Louis Vuitton Cup. Despite facing financial challenges, the German-French team "Orient Express" remains hopeful, having made improvements in their sailing skills during the preliminary regatta.
