| Sport | Sailing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country(ies) | NZL, USA, FRA, SWE, ITA, GBR, RUS |
| Related competitions | America's Cup, Louis Vuitton Cup, Louis Vuitton Pacific Series |
The Louis Vuitton Trophy is a series of match race regattas in America's Cup Class yachts that have been held since late 2009. The Louis Vuitton Trophy was organised after the success of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in Auckland and the continued legal delays in the 2010 America's Cup. Each event features between eight and ten teams in a round robin with two teams advancing to a final. It is hoped that the series will morph into the Louis Vuitton Cup for the 34th America's Cup.[1]
The event is supported by Louis Vuitton and the World Sailing Team Association, a grouping of eight America's Cup syndicates.
Contents |
The series was originally launched as the Louis Vuitton World Series but after a request from the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) the name was changed to the Louis Vuitton Trophy.[2]
For all events identical America's Cup Class yachts will be used. For events in the Mediterranean Sea, Mascalzone Latino's ITA-90 and ITA-99 and Desafío Español's ESP-88 and ESP-97 will be used.[3]
The Nice event will utilise ITA-90 and ITA-99 as well as All4One's FRA-93 and Team Origin's GBR-75.[4][5]
Eight teams will compete in each of the first two events. Alinghi have so far declined to be a part of the series as they focused on defending the America's Cup, however they are generally supportive of the series.[6]
| Country | Team | Club | Skipper | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | Team New Zealand | Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron | Dean Barker | Host (Auckland) |
| United States | BMW Oracle Racing | Golden Gate Yacht Club | James Spithill, Gavin Brady, Hamish Pepper | Crew in Nice was separate from the one participating in the 2010 America's Cup. Did not send a team to Auckland. |
| Sweden | Team Artemis | Royal Swedish Yacht Club | Paul Cayard | |
| France | ALL4ONE | Cercle de la Voile de Paris / Kieler Yacht-Club | Sébastien Col, Jochen Schümann | Host (Nice) |
| France | Team French Spirit | Bertrand Pacé | ||
| Russia | Team Synergy | Karol Jablonski | ||
| Italy | Mascalzone Latino | Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia / Club Nautico di Roma | Gavin Brady | Host (La Maddalena). Did not compete in Nice. |
| Italy | Azzurra | Yacht Club Costa Smeralda | Francesco Bruni, Tommaso Chieffi | |
| United Kingdom | Team Origin | Royal Thames Yacht Club | Ben Ainslie | |
| Italy | Luna Rossa | Yacht Club Italiano | Ed Baird | Did not compete in Nice or Auckland. |
Nice hosted the first event between 7-22 November 2009. Auckland will then host the second event in March 2010 and La Maddalena will host the third event in May-June.[7][8] This will be followed by Dubai in November and Hong Kong in January 2011.[9]
San Diego is bidding to host an event in March 2011.[1] Two more regattas could be held in 2011, in Russia and in Greece. Newport, Valencia, Cape Town and Abu Dhabi have all also expressed interest in hosting legs of the Series.[6]
| Dates | Regatta | Winner | Runner Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 - 22 November, 2009 | Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur | Azzurra | Team New Zealand |
| 9 - 21 March 2010 | Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland | Team New Zealand | Mascalzone Latino |
| 22 May - 6 June 2010 | Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena | Team New Zealand | Team Synergy |
| 13 - 28 November 2010 | Louis Vuitton Trophy Middle East | Team New Zealand | BMW Oracle Racing |
| 9 - 24 January 2011 TBD | Louis Vuitton Trophy Hong Kong |
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