LAND ROVER BAR LAUNCH RACE BOAT TO END 166 YEARS OF SPORTING PAIN

6 February 2017

Land Rover BAR have launched the boat they believe will make sailing history. One of the fastest, most technically advanced craft on the water has been developed with Jaguar Land Rover engineers with one aim: to win the world's oldest sporting trophy.

  • Sir Ben Ainslie and family christen Land Rover BAR America’s Cup race boat ‘Rita’ in Bermuda
  • Land Rover engineers’ expertise has helped design one of the fastest, most technically advanced race boat ever
  • Intensive final preparations and training in battle for the world’s oldest sporting trophy

Monday 6 February 2017, Bermuda: Land Rover BAR have launched the boat they believe will make sailing history. One of the fastest, most technically advanced craft on the water has been developed with Jaguar Land Rover engineers with one aim: to win the world's oldest sporting trophy.

It's 50 years since England's footballers won a major prize. Tennis lovers waited 77 years for a British man to follow Fred Perry as Wimbledon singles champion. But Britain has never won the America's Cup in its 166‑year history.

Launched in Bermuda, the boat was named 'Rita' by Sir Ben Ainslie's wife Lady Georgie Ainslie and daughter Bellatrix. The name has a winning pedigree – Sir Ben has used it throughout his career.

BAR shared the engineering skills used by Jaguar Land Rover to create its newest models. Aerodynamic, self‑learning car, artificial intelligence and virtual‑modelling technologies are all helping the boat to go faster. Jaguar Land Rover
is the UK’s largest investor in automotive research, development and engineering spending billions on new product creation and innovation, the partnership with Land Rover BAR enables the engineers to up‑skill and practice new methods in different environment and platforms.

This process of two‑way engineering and our wider STEM programme across the business has enabled us to develop, learn and provide our capabilities to the BAR team. We developed industry‑first aerodynamic testing to support the wingsail design which you can see on the final boat here today. From the success of this project, and with our knowledge of analysis and construction of light‑weight vehicles, we have also supported the structural design of the daggerboards – the surfboard‑style structure underneath the boat that allow it to fly and keep it stable when out of the water.

Tony Harper
Director of Research at Jaguar Land Rover

Each light‑weight daggerboard needs to bear 2,400kg, the equivalent of a new Land Rover Discovery, so their job on the boat is crucial.

It has been an incredible campaign to be involved in as a British automotive brand. We are extremely proud to be supporting Sir Ben Ainslie’s entry into this legendary race.

Tony Harper
Director of Research at Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover’s input to the final boat design has been hugely significant for us. As the relationship grew, so did their level of involvement.

The America’s Cup has always been a sailing and design race and the boats have developed from ropes and winches to more technical machines which will fly out of the water at up to 60mph. This complex design requires the latest engineering skill and insight, allowing automotive brands to make a significant impact in the design race – very much like in F1

Martin Whitmarsh
CEO of Land Rover BAR

It’s a great moment to see our race boat Rita hit the water in Bermuda. The launch represents the sum of all the team’s efforts to bring the America’s Cup home, and we’re delighted to get her in the water here in Bermuda. We’re a start‑up team, and we had to build not just the boat but the design and engineering team, the facilities and the processes to get to this point today. There are just a few short months before the racing starts at the end of May, and we will be working very hard now on the final development and testing of this boat to make sure we are ready for the racing.

Sir Ben Ainslie

The team have less than four months to make design tweaks and for the sailors to train on the water in Bermuda.

The America’s Cup begins on 26 May 2017 with the first round of qualifiers. The winner will be crowned at the end of June. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to watch the event live in Bermuda and more on TV. Land Rover BAR will be up against teams from USA, France, Sweden, New Zealand and Japan.

ENDS

Further information

For further information log onto www.media.landrover.com or contact:

Tracey Tompsett
Senior Press Officer, Land Rover UK
T: 02476 565 210
M: 07469 032 064
E: ttompset@landrover.com

Notes to Editors

Editors Notes:

Land Rover

Sometimes appears under heading 'About Land Rover', sometimes used as one of the notes to editors: consistency needed

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 SUV sectors, with 80 per cent of this model range exported to over 170 countries.

Jaguar Land Rover
is the UK’s largest investor in automotive research, development and engineering ‑ spending more than £3 billion this year on new product creation and capital expenditure ‑ turning British ingenuity, craftsmanship and innovation into highly desirable, premium vehicles. It is regognised that bright minds, with opportunities to grow and flourish are at the heart of achieving this mission and Jaguar Land Rover supports this through a suite of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) led programmes designed to inspire and create opportunities in automotive engineering.

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. Sir 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 its Tech Deck education centre.

The 1851 Trust is the team's official charity, and HRH The Duchess of Cambridge is its Royal Patron.

LandRoverBAR.com #BringTheCupHome