Ainslie’s America’s Cup Test Different to Olympics

(October 4, 2012) – Olympic champion Ben Ainslie believes achieving success in the America’s Cup will be among his toughest challenges. The 34-year-old, who won a fourth Olympic gold at London 2012, is now skippering his Ben Ainslie Racing AC45 catamaran in the World Series.

“It’s like going from a go-kart to a Formula 1 car,” Ainslie told BBC Sport. “The boats are bigger, faster and more expensive, so it’s totally different to the Olympics and a much bigger challenge in many ways.”

Great Britain’s most decorated Olympic sailor added: “Being about teamwork rather than the individual really is a huge change and making all of the decisions on my own, all of a sudden you have to verbalise your thought processes and make sure the communication is right, because if you don’t have that the team doesn’t work so well.”

Ainslie and his team, who finished tenth in their opening event in the US last month and return to the same waters this week for the second round, are hoping to become serious challengers for the 35th America’s Cup.

“Right now the World Series circuit gives us the opportunity to be out there racing, show the brand and give our partners some exposure,” Ainslie continued. “In the next 12-18 months we need to build that up so that we have the funds in place to start recruiting the best team in terms of sailors, designers and managers.” — Full Story