Exclusive Innovation Partner Land Rover took Land Rover BAR to Kokonoe Beya Sumo Stable Japan4

LAND ROVER BAR MEET SUMO STARS IN FUKUOKA

17 November 2016

The Land Rover BAR team got to grips with traditional Japanese sporting culture in the build‑up to the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series finale in Fukuoka, Japan, by working with a stable of Sumo wrestlers.

Land Rover BAR sailing team meet leading Sumo wrestlers in Japan
The team hopes visit will bring good weather and good fortune for the race this weekend
Land Rover BAR aims to bring home the world’s oldest sporting trophy to Britain for the first time in its 165‑year history

Thursday 17 November 2016, Japan: The Land Rover BAR team got to grips with traditional Japanese sporting culture in the build‑up to the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series finale in Fukuoka, Japan, by working with a stable of Sumo wrestlers.

They visited the Kokonoe Beya Sumo Stable to experience one of the oldest sports in the world, which dates back to AD 794. The sailing team joined the wrestlers’ morning warm‑up session and took part in one‑on‑one bouts.

It was a real honour to be invited into the Sumo Stable here today in Fukuoka to meet the athletes as they prepare for the tournament. I did not appreciate just how strong these guys are: it’s like running head‑on into a brick wall. The two sports are complete extremes, but the mental preparation and focus is very similar. It was a unique and unforgettable experience to be allowed inside the inner sanctum of the sport.

Giles Scott

Tactician, Land Rover BAR

In keeping with the Japanese culture and tradition the team made an offering at a local Shinto Shrine, requesting good weather and good fortune for the race weekend ahead.

Land Rover BAR hold a 14‑point lead in the overall series. The winner will take two points into the next stage of the 35th America’s Cup, the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers. It’s the equivalent of two wins – a 20 per cent bonus on the remaining available points in the double round‑robin, which starts in Bermuda on 26 May 2017.

All the action can be watched live in the UK and Ireland on BT Sport, with Saturday and Sunday’s racing coverage starting at 4am. Both channels will run replays throughout the weekend.

ENDS

Further information

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

Lydia Haley
Senior Press Officer
+44 2476 564 147 / +44 7730 923 507
lhaley1@jaguarlandrover.com

Notes to Editors

Jaguar Land Rover 2016

Jaguar Land Rover is the UK's largest automotive manufacturer, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all‑wheel‑drive vehicles; and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports saloon and sports car marques.

The company employs almost 38,000 people globally and supports around 275,000 more through our dealerships, suppliers and local businesses. Manufacturing is centred in the UK, with additional plants in China, Brazil and India.

At Jaguar Land Rover we are driven by a desire to create class‑leading products that deliver great customer experiences. The largest investor in R&D in the UK manufacturing sector, we have invested £12 billion in the last five years and in the current year alone will spend over £3 billion on new product creation and capital expenditure. Last year Jaguar Land Rover sold 487,065 vehicles in 160 countries, with more than 80% of our vehicles produced in the UK being sold abroad.

Land Rover is ‘Title Partner’ and ‘Exclusive Innovation Partner’ of Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR). Land Rover is applying its expertise in advanced engineering, cutting edge design and innovative technological solutions to Land Rover BAR in its attempt to win the America’s Cup.

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 its Tech Deck education centre.

The 1851 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.

LandRoverBAR.com #BringTheCupHome

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17 November 2016