America’s Cup, Sir Keith Mills sospende l’attività
America's CupTeam OriginVela 15 Maggio 2009 Zerogradinord 1
[singlepic=890,300,204,,left]America’s Cup – Londra – La decisione era nell’aria da tempo. Blog e forum lo mormoravano a denti stretti: Sir Keith Mills, presidente di Team Origin, primo tra gli sfidanti alla Coppa America ad iniziare la preparazione già poche settimane dopo la fine della 32ma edizione, ha alzato bandiera bianca e ha sospeso ogni attività del team. Questo è quanto si spprende tramite il Telegraph, quotidiano online.
“Formalmente esistiamo ancora, ma non siamo attivi – ha spiegato Mike Sanderson, resposabile tecnico del team – Non c’è una Coppa America per tutti nell’immediato futuro: quindi perchè spendere soldi inutilmente se non c’è un obiettivo da perseguire?”
La campagna di Team Origin è costata sino a oggi più di 6 milioni di sterline al tycoon britannico e al suo socio Charles Dunstone, capo della Carphone Warehouse.
Il team, di cui facevano parte i migliori esponenti della vela britannica, come Iain Percy, Ben Ainslie, ha portato avanti una campagna durata due anni e ha impiegato più di 100 dipendenti: “C’è molta tristezza davanti a questa decisione, ma si tratta di una semplice buca lungo la strada. Se guardiamo l’altro lato della medaglia c’è di buono che abbiamo guadagnato molta esperienza e non abbiamo buttato i soldi al vento: eravamo uno splendido team, con i requisiti in regola per prendere parte e vincere l’America’s Cup”.
In merito a quanto accaduto in tribunale ieri pomeriggio, Sanderson ha dichiarato: “Il giudice, una donna, è stato molto saggio: manca solo la scelta della sede delle regate. Speriamo di saperlo presto e di assistere a questa sfida, in modo da poter voltare pagina e guardare al prossimo evento multi challenger con rinnovata speranza”.
AMERICA’S CUP, SIR KEITH MILLS SCALES OUT FROM THE CUP
[Source Telegraph] Even before the New York Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday which confirmed the date but not the venue of the next event, the decision was taken to suspend the multi-million pound British sailing campaign until the Deed of Gift match has been decided and the next multi-challenger event announced.
“We will still exist but will not be as active as we were,”confirmed Team Origin spokesman Mike Sanderson, who has retained his position as Team Director.
“There is not an AC for us to do so why keep boxing around the edges? There is no point burning through cash and just hanging around.”
The Team Origin campaign is believed to have cost Mills and investment partner Charles Dunstone, head of Carphone Warehouse, up to £6million over the past two years with the purchase of an AC boat, the hiring of a design, sailing and back up team that reached 100.
More than 30 were in Auckland for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series regatta earlier this year where Team Origin stunned the sailing world with better than expected results, though by then most of the team had already been laid off.
Ben Ainslie, Iain Percy and Matt Cornwall have also been retained to compete in the World Match Racing Tour of 2009 through to the end of the year.
A Team Origin Extreme 40, bought for the last iShares Cup, will be used for corporate hospitality and for Ainslie and Sanderson to compete in the JP Morgan Round the Island race on 20 June.
The news that a date had been fixed for the Alinghi versus BMW Oracle Racing competition in giant multihulls was welcomed even though the wrangling between Ernesto Bertarelli and Larry Ellison could easily continue over venue.
“The judge was a very smart woman and she gave them an earful and told them to get on with it, which was great, though the venue still needs to be decided,” said Sanderson.
“We still have no idea where it will be, but it will be good to get it over with so we can move on to the next multi-challenger event.”
“There is a feeling of great sadness over what has happened because it has affected the sport of sailing. But it is just a bump in the road.”
“We have gained a lot of experience so as far as we are concerned it is not money down the drain.”
“We know so much more than we did two years ago. If the coin had gone the other way, Team Origin was in a superb position to compete in and win the next America’s Cup.”
