America’s Cup 2021: Much more to do for the 37th America’s Cup, says Ineos boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe

Ineos Team UK owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says no decisions have been made on the next America’s Cup host, despite strong speculation suggesting the next race could take place on the Isle of Wight.

With Ineos Team UK confirmed as the Challenger of Record for the 37th America’s Cup, the wheels are now in motion with preparations for the event, but in an exclusive interview, Ratcliffe told Newstalk ZB’s Matt Brown that there is still a lot to decide. .

“Where we will finish and when we will finish is still being debated. There are different potential scenarios. Whatever it is, it will be a good Cup because I think these AC75s are very exciting and it is a close competition.

“Everyone has read the rumors in the press and they are things that I am not free to comment on,” Ratcliffe said. “All I can say is that we will have conversations with Grant Dalton and his guys and hopefully we’ll get a good response.”

Ratcliffe paid tribute to the New Zealand team for their victory over Luna Rossa in the America’s Cup match and pointed out how difficult it is to defeat the four-time Cup champions.

“It’s not just about money, money helps if you are a well financed team, but you really are the best sailing team in the world because you have the best sailors and you produce the fastest ships in the world. We have great sailing technology here. And that’s quite difficult for us to replicate. It’s a challenge. “

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron accepted the challenge from the Isle of Wight Royal Yacht Squadron on Wednesday afternoon as the New Zealand team crossed the finish line to win the 36th America’s Cup. The challenge was raised and accepted in the water among the wild cards of the clubs.

That challenge may take place overseas next year in a Deed of Gift match, with Dalton, executive director of Team NZ, telling TVNZ that bringing the Cup to the Isle of Wight was on the cards.

“Certainly the Isle of Wight is an option,” Dalton said. “We want to come back, but we also have to think about the team and ultimately my responsibility is primarily for well-being and strength and the ability to defend the Cup.”

The groups will now work together to sort out the finer details of what the defense will look like, with a location expected to be decided within the next six months, and protocol for the schedule for the 37th Copa América to be revealed within. the next eight months. .

Some rules have already been established. The event will be sailed again in the AC75 class, and teams will only be able to build a new ship. The class will be used for the next two America’s Cup races, and is a condition for the teams to agree to this.

The defender and official challenger will also set out to research and establish a meaningful package of campaign cost reduction measures, including measures to attract more challengers and assist with the establishment of new teams.

This was a critical point in the 36th edition of the Cup, as only three rivals were able to finance their campaign to the point where they were able to reach the starting line in Auckland.