Taking on the America’s Cup challenge

America’s Cup Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, launches a new web series – Challengers for Now – which provides a view behind the scenes of their Cagliari headquarters through exclusive footage and interviews with the protagonists. Here’s the tease:

A challenge without equal. 1000 days, 100 professionals, 1 obsession: winning the America’s Cup and winning it for Italy.

The America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in the sporting world and since 1851 the most talented sailors in the world have been competing against each other to claim it. It is a competition between teams representing their countries in terms of sports, design, technology and culture.

“Where winning is almost impossible, but not quite.” For this reason, it represents one of the most sought-after trophies, and claiming it is a challenge filled with difficulties.

The web series consists of two seasons, with four episodes each, detailing the events that have defined the past year: from adrenalin-fueled training sessions, to hull and foil development, from tense moments during a dismasting, to the return to training on the water.

Viewers will be able to follow the backstage activities on shore and at sea, through exclusive imagines available to the public for the first time. The story of this tricky and arduous journey will be told by the sailors and team members themselves.

Max Sirena (Skipper & Team Director): “Being challengers is what reminds us every day of our goal and pushes us to strive more and more to achieve it. This web series is a project our team really cares about, it is the story of the long journey behind a challenge as complex as the America’s Cup.”

Shannon Falcone (sailing team member): “In an America’s Cup campaign you don’t know what can happen until the end; the only sure thing is that the winning teams are the ones who work together to overcome the daily challenges. I hope this web series will show the public the story behind the long and exhausting preparation for the America’s Cup.”

Romano Battisti (new generation – sailing team member): “The big sporting challenges, as an America’s Cup campaign or Olympic Games, in which I have competed twice, convey strong emotions. I hope these images will be able to inspire future generations to get involved in the world of sports and to achieve their dreams, as happened to me twenty years ago.”

The second season of Challengers for Now will be released after the summer and will follow the team up to its departure for Auckland to pursue its goal to win the challenger selection series and then topple defender Emirates Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup races of March 2021.

Here’s the first season:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

36th America’s Cup
In addition to Challenges from Italy, USA, and Great Britain that were accepted during the initial entry period (January 1 to June 30, 2018), eight additional Notices of Challenge were received by the late entry deadline on November 30, 2018. Of those eight submittals, entries from Malta, USA, and the Netherlands were also accepted. Here’s the list:

Defender:
• Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL)

Challengers:
• Luna Rossa (ITA) – Challenger of Record
• American Magic (USA)
• INEOS Team UK (GBR)
• Malta Altus Challenge (MLT) – WITHDRAW
• Stars + Stripes Team USA (USA)
• DutchSail (NED) – WITHDRAW

Of the three late entries, only Stars+Stripes USA remains committed, but they still must complete the entry fee payment process before they will be eligible to race. They have allegedly made their initial payment but as a late entry challenger under the Protocol, they also have a liability to pay a US$1million late entry fee due in installments by October 1, 2019. However, it is not yet confirmed if they have paid the fee, nor is there any knowledge of a boat being actively built or sailing team training.

Key America’s Cup dates:
✔ September 28, 2017: 36th America’s Cup Protocol released
✔ November 30, 2017: AC75 Class concepts released to key stakeholders
✔ January 1, 2018: Entries for Challengers open
✔ March 31, 2018: AC75 Class Rule published
✔ June 30, 2018: Entries for Challengers close
✔ August 31, 2018: Location of the America’s Cup Match and The PRADA Cup confirmed
✔ August 31, 2018: Specific race course area confirmed
✔ November 30, 2018: Late entries deadline
✔ March 31, 2019: Boat 1 can be launched (DELAYED)
✔ 2nd half of 2019: 2 x America’s Cup World Series events (CANCELLED)
✔ October 1, 2019: US$1million late entry fee deadline (NOT KNOWN)
✔ February 1, 2020: Boat 2 can be launched (DELAYED)
✔ April 23-26, 2020: First (1/3) America’s Cup World Series event in Cagliari, Sardinia (CANCELLED)
✔ June 4-7, 2020: Second (2/3) America’s Cup World Series event in Portsmouth, England (CANCELLED)
December 17-20, 2020: Third (3/3) America’s Cup World Series event in Auckland, New Zealand
January 15-February 22, 2021: The PRADA Cup Challenger Selection Series
March 6-15, 2021: The America’s Cup Match

AC75 launch dates:
September 6 – Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Boat 1
September 10 – American Magic (USA), Boat 1; actual launch date earlier but not released
October 2 – Luna Rossa (ITA), Boat 1
October 4 – INEOS Team UK (GBR), Boat 1

Details: www.americascup.com