Five of the best youth sailing teams in the world have qualified for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup 2013 following a grueling two-week Selection Series in San Francisco. The 12 crews, from 11 countries, were pushed to the limit as they fought for the right to compete in September’s races. The teams proved their mettle in challenging winter conditions on San Francisco Bay, one of the most challenging race venues in the world.
SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 24, 2013) — National crews from Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland, made the cut to advance to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup where they will meet five crews supported by current America’s Cup teams. Double Olympic Gold medalists Roman Hagara (AUT) and Hans-Peter Steinacher (AUT), the Sports Directors for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, made the selections after monitoring the teams on and off the water during the two back-to-back selection weeks. With the high talent level and extreme motivation of the crews, there were hard choices to make.
“This has been very difficult,” Hagara said. “The level of each team is much higher than we could have hoped for, which is good. But only five of them are able to race with us in September so today’s decision wasn’t easy to make.”
Race results made up 60 percent of the selection criteria. Teams were also evaluated on professionalism on and off the water, as well as on the training programs they have set up to develop their skills further between now and September.
“We always said we were looking for the best of the best,” said Steinacher. “And that’s what we have now. I believe any of these five teams will be capable of winning in September.”
Cold and strong winter winds made taming the AC45 catamarans, with their towering wing sails, difficult. But the youth sailors, aged 19-24, were up to the task.“We went into this with a plan not to let them sail in over 15 knots of wind and to keep the teams inside the Bay Bridge,” Steinacher said. “We broke both of those rules on the very first day! Fortunately, the teams have shown us they are able to handle the boats in conditions that are on the limit.”
The five teams selected today have now qualified to race in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup from September 1-4, in a fleet that includes five additional youth crews supported by current America’s Cup teams.
In their own words:
Lucien Cujean (SUI), skipper, Team Switzerland / TILT: “It feels good, very good. It’s great news. Even though we won the racing portion of the selection series, that’s not the only criteria. So we were nervous about the selection.”
Bernardo Freitas (POR), skipper, Team Portugal / ROFF/Cascais Sailing: “We’re excited for the announcement. Excited for September. I believed we’d have a chance. In the racing we showed we’re a good team and we have good skills on the water.”
Will Tiller (NZL), skipper, Team New Zealand / Full Metal Jacket Racing: “We’re pretty psyched. It’s about 5:00 in the morning (the team is in Oman training ahead of an X40 regatta) and we were all sitting around the phone, nervous. But we’re very happy to have made the selection. The opportunity to race the RBYAC is fantastic, but now the hard work begins.
Philipp Buhl (GER), skipper, Team Germany / STG/NRV: “It was a brilliant week. We didn’t expect to be first, but we stayed grounded through the week and kept improving. We really improved our maneuvers and team work. In the end, we learned not to talk so much. Everyone learned to do their job and just did it.”
Jason Waterhouse (AUS), skipper, Team Objective Australia: “It was a mind-blowing week. We learned so much. It’s our first time racing together as a crew.”
Jimmy Spithill, skipper, ORACLE TEAM USA: “My pathway to the America’s Cup was one of good luck. When I was a youth sailor there wasn’t a clear pathway to the Cup. But the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup gives these guys a great opportunity, and the game’s opened up to much wider participation. The level of organization from these teams is impressive.”
Russell Coutts, CEO, ORACLE TEAM USA: “The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is meant to be a way for youth sailors to show their talents and make it to the pro sailing ranks. This (on the AC45 wing sail catamaran) is some of the best and most fun racing I’ve done in years. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it too.”
Selection Series Teams advancing to Red Bull Youth America’s Cup
Australia – Objective Australia Germany – STG/NRV Youth Team New Zealand – Full Metal Jacket Racing Portugal – ROFF/Cascais Sailing Team Switzerland – Team TILT
Youth crews supported by America’s Cup World Series Teams France – Energy Team New Zealand – Emirates Team New Zealand Sweden – Artemis Racing/Swedish Youth Challenge USA – ORACLE TEAM USA/American Youth Sailing Force (SFO) USA – ORACLE TEAM USA/USA45 Racing (USA)
More information, video, images: www.redbullcontentpool.com
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 will take 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 is scheduled for September 1-4, 2013, in San Francisco, during the heart of the 2013 America’s Cup racing season.
Images free of charge for editorial use. Credit: Balazs Gardi for Red Bull Content Pool
Contact:
Mario Schoby / Communication Red Bull Youth America´s Cup
Phone: +43 664 638 599 7
Email: mario.schoby@chili-sports.com
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