- Land Rover BAR won this weekend's Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series regatta in Muscat, Oman ‑ the first team to claim two ACWS event wins
- After dominating the first day of racing, a nail‑biting 'Super Sunday' saw the team come from behind to claim the title
- Sir Ben Ainslie sails Land Rover BAR team to a secure 3rd place overall in the America's Cup World Series rankings
Whitley, 29 February 2016: Despite a race weekend of light winds, penalty starts and a collision, Land Rover BAR's fast boat speed and good tactical decisions allowed them, in true British style, to recover from the brink to win this weekend's Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series regatta.
Martin Whitmarsh, Land Rover BAR Chief Executive Officer said: "Overall it's been a fantastic weekend, and we have proved we are the come‑back kids as we came back every time despite the challenges. The boys were fantastically quick on the water and that enabled them to keep their heads up and fight their way through the field. They deserved this great win for the huge amount of effort and courage they showed."
The first day of competition saw Land Rover BAR dominate the way after finishing two races in first position, and one in third. Despite a collision with Groupama Team France in the first race and a subsequent penalty at the starting line the Land Rover BAR team battled back to finish third before making good judgements to win the next two races.
Super Sunday, with double points at stake, saw the main action of the weekend. All the teams were pushing hard and Land Rover BAR received starting penalties in each of the three races leaving them at the back of the fleet with a fight on their hands. Superb tactical sailing saw the team climb their way through the fleet to finish with second, third and fourth place finishes to seal the overall win.
Olympic hopeful, Giles Scott, team Tactician, made the right choices at crucial moments and despite having difficult starts, the team used their combined strength, grit and determination to put the bad starts behind them and were consistently the fastest America's Cup boat on the water.
The British Challenger is the only team to have won two of the four regattas in the America's Cup World Series, since the series launched at the team's home town, Portsmouth, last June. The 76 points secured this weekend halves the gap with Emirates Team New Zealand in the overall rankings and the team now sit just one point behind Oracle Team USA ‑ in third place with 185 points.
Sir Ben Ainslie, Land Rover BAR Team Principal and Skipper said: "It was pretty tough, we would have liked better starts, but no one dropped their head, and we just kept fighting through it. Good team work from everyone, and Giles did a great job on the tactics to get us back through the fleet. The win is particularly important for us as a new team, it is important for our team back home we've got a big squad of boat builders and designers and everyone else working really hard, long hours and they want to believe that we can really win this thing. I hope that we are proving to them that we can. For all the guys at the base, supporting at home in Portsmouth they should share in this win, we're in it together."
The next leg of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series heads to the iconic Hudson River in New York City, USA on 7th and 8th May.
Video: Watch the Sunday Sunday wrap up video here: https://bar1.box.com/s/wb88w8ounjbncnhj2by6kyk50fg2golw
Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series overall results after four events:
Emirates Team New Zealand ‑ 192
Oracle Team USA ‑ 186
Land Rover BAR ‑ 185
Softbank Team Japan ‑ 161
Artemis Racing ‑ 161
Groupama Team France ‑ 150
ENDS
For further information log onto www.uk.media.landrover.com or contact:
Kim Palmer
Public Relations Manager, Land Rover UK
T: 02476 564 129
M: 07795 666 169
E: kpalmer@landrover.com
Tracey Tompsett
Senior Press Officer, Land Rover UK
T: 02476 565 210
M: 07469 032 064
E: ttompset@landrover.com
Rebecca Wright
Press Officer, Land Rover UK
T: 02476 566 334
M: 07469 025162
E: rwright4@landrover.com
Editors Notes:
Land Rover
Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true 'breadth of capability' across the model range. Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover and Range Rover Evoque each define the world's 4x4 sectors, with 80% of this model range exported to over 170 countries.
About Land Rover BAR
Sarah Alexander, Land Rover BAR Press Officer
Sarah.alexander@landroverbar.com
t. +44 7766 391 276 / +44 1489 587 838
Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) was launched on June 10th 2014 in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge. The team was conceived by four times Olympic gold medalist and 34th America's Cup winner, Sir Ben Ainslie, with the long‑term aim of challenging for Britain and bringing the America's Cup back home to where it all began in 1851. Ben has developed and will lead a British entry capable of winning the prestigious trophy, something Britain has so far never managed to achieve.
Land Rover BAR is a commercial sporting team, with a number of individual private investors alongside corporate partners. The team is made up of some of the best British and international sailors, designers, builders and racing support.
Sports teams represent key role models in society. This privileged position is not taken for granted at Land Rover BAR. The team believe our influence should extend far beyond the race course, and have put sustainability at the heart of operations since launching the team with Exclusive Sustainability Partner 11th Hour Racing in 2014.
The team have built a new headquarters in the centre of Portsmouth, the 74,000 sq ft. building houses all the team's activities, and will welcome the public into a Visitor Centre hosted by the 1851 Trust. The Trust is the team's official charity, and HRH The Duchess of Cambridge is its Royal Patron.
Portsmouth will host a second Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series event on 21st‑24th July 2016. Almost a quarter of a million spectators enjoyed the action in Portsmouth in 2015, with 25,000 of them taking to the water ‑ more are expected to come back in 2016 to watch the racing and cheer for the home team.
