In a news release which has definitely excited Los Angeles and San Diego fans of the America’s Cup, another major player has entered the field. Patrizio Bertelli, head of fashion industry giant Prada, has announced that he has the backing of his Board of Directors to mount a $56 Million campaign for the 2013 America’s Cup competition. This is fantastic news since it now brings a total of three competing teams definitely affirming their desire and having the financial resources to compete in the next Cup.
The 2013 event, now being prepared for by nine teams in the America’s Cup World Series, will be held in San Francisco. Of the nine competing in the ACWS, it is thought that perhaps two or three will have the resources to continue to the actual Cup Challenge. Much will depend on how the teams fare in the next twelve months. Success brings money to the team, and with the costs of a full Cup campaign being in the mega-millions, most teams will need additional resources to mount a full three year challenge.
Southland sailors are really excited since the next America’s Cup World Series event will be in San Diego mid-November. The nine teams now sailing and competing in the ACWS are involved with races in 2011 and 2012. These races will lead up to the actual Cup program in 2013. Prada had been a part of the Cup Challenge in 2003 and 2007, but declined to sponsor a boat in 2010, the most recent edition of the world’s oldest sporting event.
The 2013 Cup Finals, as well as the Louis Vuitton Challenge Cup races will be sailed in the AC 72’s, a new multihull design. Bertelli and Prada feel that they can be very competitive in the AC 72’s since none have been launched (and none are scheduled to be launched until 2012). In the meantime, should they desire, Prada can join the ACWS, sailing the AC 45’s, the new lightning fast multihulls being used in the Cup lead-up series.
The San Diego World Series site will offer great views for the race fans. The course will be set close enough to the shore that viewers will be able to see and hear the boats rush by. This is a super spectator event, since the AC 45’s are capable of reaching speeds in excess of 30 MPH and go from zero to full speed in just seconds.
The Prada announcement just might encourage other players to re-think plans for a Cup entry. Normally the entries cost significant amounts of money, but the advertising and exposure offsets the costs to a very positive degree.
It is exciting to have Prada to return to the Cup.
Go boating, be safe, and get to San Diego to see the ACWS in November!
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