America’s Cup, Cascais: iniziato il countdown
America's CupEnglishVela 7 Giugno 2011 Zerogradinord 2
Cascais – Saranno Cascais e le sue spettacolari condizioni meteo a tenere a battesimo l’America’s Cup World Series. Tra meno di due mesi, la nota località portoghese, già teatro di eventi importanti come l’Audi MedCup, spalancherà le porte al fascino della Vecchia Brocca.
L’evento, in programma tra il 6 e il 14 agosto, sarà anche il primo vero banco di prova degli AC45, i multiscafi dotati di ala rigida voluti da Oracle Racing come classe di transizione in attesa degli AC72. Sarà insomma il momento della verità per il defender: il suo format saprà essere davvero innovativo o immediato scatterà il confronto con l’Extreme Sailing Series? Riuscirà a colpire l’immaginario collettivo e a soddisfare gli standard elevatissimi di cui gli organizzatori si sono fatti vanto durante i mesi passati?
L’unica certezza è che, dopo diciotto mesi di attesa, una falsa partenza non è consentita e ogni sbavatura finirà all’indice di una comunità velica desiderosa di osservare finalmente i fatti.
Il calendario della manifestazione alternerà regate di flotta a un evento di match race:
6-7 agosto, regate di flotta
10-12 agosto, flotta e match race
13 agosto, finali di match race
14 agosto, finali di flotta
La frazione portoghese segnerà inoltre il debutto del nuovo sistema di copertura televisiva, annunciato dall’America’s Cup Event Authority come una rivoluzione senza precedenti. In pratica il Virtual Eye dovrebbe essere rimpiazzato da un software basato sulla realtà aumentata.
Nel corso delle prossime settimane dovrebbero essere annunciate altre novità relative al villaggio America’s Cup e ai servizi offerti al pubblico.
AMERICA’S CUP, PRESSURE RISING UP IN CASCAIS
[America’s Cup Press Release] In just two months’ time, the inaugural America’s Cup World Series (AC World Series) will get under way in the port city of Cascais, Portugal, a location world-famous for its spectacular sailing conditions. The event will be held the 6th to the 14th of August and will showcase the AC45 wing-sailed catamaran in the first-ever competition for this exciting new class.
Carlos Carreiras, Mayor of Cascais said: “It is a great honor for Cascais to hold this event. Cascais, located on the Estoril Coast, is a premier tourism destination, and our waters are considered to offer some of the best yacht racing in the world. We are looking for a superb event.”
Cascais is the perfect town to host the thousands of AC World Series spectators anticipated to watch the first racing of the America’s Cup World Series. The event will feature both fleet and match racing, with courses designed to test the athletes’ physical and mental prowess.
August 6 – 7, fleet racing
August 10 – 12, both fleet and match racing
August 13, match racing finals
August 14, fleet racing finals
In addition to the on-the-water action, the AC World Series also brings the America’s Cup experience to fans on land. Events and activities associated with the AC World Series will be announced later this summer.
Richard Worth, Chairman of the America’s Cup Event Authority said: “The America’s Cup World Series will expose hundreds of thousands of more people to the sport of sailing in its most exciting form – right in front of their eyes. We are excited to begin our global journey in Cascais, where both the racing and the experience will be first-rate.”
Televised to expose millions more fans to the sport of high-performance sailing, the AC World Series is a regular circuit of regattas that will bring America’s Cup-level racing and experience to top international venues. At the end of each AC World Series season, a champion will be crowned. These events provide the fans the only opportunity to see all of the America’s Cup competitors racing together.
The AC World Series will be sailed in the AC45, the forerunner to the next generation of America’s Cup boats. The boat was launched to great acclaim in New Zealand in January of this year. Focused on creating more on-the-water excitement for both the teams and the fans, the AC45 wing-sailed catamaran was designed for both speed and close racing. While capable of speeds of over 32 mph (28 knots), the AC45 remains nimble enough to handle the tight, tactical race courses planned by America’s Cup Race Management.
