Land Rover BAR

With HMS Blazer (right) and HMS Kent (background) in July 2016
Land Rover BAR's AC45F yacht (left) competing in the 2015–16 America's Cup World Series.
Land Rover BAR Headquarters building in Portsmouth.

Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing (Land Rover BAR) is a British yacht racing team formed by four-time Olympic gold medalist and 34th America's Cup winner Sir Ben Ainslie. This team was founded after Team Origin abandoned plans in 2010 to challenge for the 2013 America's Cup. The team won the 2015–16 America's Cup World Series. Land Rover BAR is representing the Royal Yacht Squadron in the challenge for the 2017 America's Cup.

Formation and facilities

In January 2012, Ben Ainslie announced the formation of a team to compete in the America's Cup, called Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR). His team competed in the AC45 class for the remaining races of the 2011–13 America's Cup World Series to develop experience and generate interest from sponsors.[1] The team was also known as J.P. Morgan BAR in this early period and competed not under the RYS but for the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club.[2]

In January 2014 Ainslie began the process of raising £100M to fund the team, as well as development of racing yachts which was projected to take 30% of the budget. The project was initially backed by 12 core supporters including Sir Charles Dunstone and Sir Keith Mills.[3] In December 2014 Ben Ainslie Racing and Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT) announced that they would work together on the America's Cup project, with Formula One designer Adrian Newey leading RBAT's efforts regarding design and engineering.[4] J.P. Morgan indicated that it was not planning to continue sponsorship and the team began the search for a new title sponsor.[5]

In April 2014, as part of the launch of Rear Admiral Rob Stevens's 'Transforming Solent' report, which makes 36 recommendations with 15 prioritised at an investment cost of £91M, Ainslie announced plans to build a team headquarters in the Solent area.[6] Having reviewed a number of sites, the project put forward plans to develop an operational building at Camber Dock, as part of the wider redevelopment of Portsmouth Harbour.[7] On 18 June, Portsmouth Council approved plans for the £12M main operations building, which Ainslie confirmed would be built subject to £8M of requested UK Government-backed development funding.[8] On 1 July 2014, in a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron, central government funding of £7.5M towards the operational building's construction was confirmed, with construction reliant on final planning permission from the council and the project raising the additional required funds.[9] The operational building is also where the boats are designed and manufactured, and contains administration and full crew development facilities. The design was developed by HGP Architects[10], which also designed the nearby Spinnaker Tower. The building was opened in June 2015 and featured solar arrays, ventilation features and insulation to improve its sustainability.[10]

In March 2015, Newey's former McLaren colleague Martin Whitmarsh was announced as Ben Ainslie Racing's CEO.[11] In June 2015, Ben Ainslie announced a partnership with Land Rover and changed the team's name to Land Rover BAR.[12]

In preparation for the 2017 America's Cup, the team has launched a series of test boats that are primarily used for technology development. Launched in October 2014, T1 is a heavily modified AC45 catamaran with more advanced controls and telemetry.[13] To continue to develop sailing technology, T2 was launched in 2015,[14] followed by T3 in 2016.[15] This development program is intended to culminate in the construction of a final AC50 competition yacht due for use in 2017.

Competitions

The Land Rover BAR team celebrating their victory in the Portsmouth Stage of the America's Cup World Series, July 2016

BAR initially competed in the 2011–13 America's Cup World Series which races AC45 catamarans. The team had excellent performance in two events in San Francisco but slipped to a surprise defeat in Naples, April 2013.[16] In August 2013, the competition jury received a report from Oracle Team USA that their boat and others they had loaned had unauthorised modifications.[17] Since they were using one of the out of measurement boats provided by Team Oracle USA, the BAR team withdrew from the competition on 7 August 2013. They denied that they had any prior knowledge that the boat was out of measurement.[18]

In 2013, the team set a new multihull record of 2 hours 52 minutes 15 seconds for the Round the Island Race. The team competed in the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series, finishing 5th overall.

The team won the 2015–16 America's Cup World Series. The competition uses AC45f wing sail catamarans, which are based on AC45 class with the addition of sailing hydrofoils. This win conferred points towards the 2017 Louis Vuitton Cup in Bermuda, which began May 2017. The team was knocked out of the competition by New Zealand in the Challenger semi-final. The defeat was attributed simply to the greater speed of the opponent's boat.[19]

References

  1. ↑ Ainslie defends Oracle cup role, Independent, 11 January 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  2. ↑ http://www.yachtingworld.com/news/ainslie-reveals-cup-plans-4238
  3. ↑ Ben Morris (14 February 2014). "Olympic sailor looking for $100m". BBC News. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Ben Ainslie and Adrian Newey join forces in America's Cup bid". The Guardian. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  5. ↑ New title sponsor for British America's Cup push, sportbusiness.com, 20 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "America's Cup HQ bid part of Solent recovery plan". BBC News. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Sir Ben Ainslie confirms America's Cup HQ Solent plan". BBC News. 10 May 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Sir Ben's America's Cup Portsmouth HQ plans approved". BBC News. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Sir Ben Ainslie: America's Cup Portsmouth HQ gets £7.5m". 1 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  10. 1 2 Sailing team HQ scoops BREEAM 'Excellent' rating, Engineering and Technology Magazine, IET, 22 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  11. ↑ Majendie, Matt (5 June 2015). "From F1 to the open seas: Ex-McLaren boss plots America's Cup triumph". CNN. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  12. ↑ Sir Ben Ainslie unveils Land Rover BAR in mission to bring the America's Cup back to Britain, The Telegraph, 24 June 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  13. ↑ Ben Ainslie Racing – the dream that became a reality, The News (Portsmouth), 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  14. ↑ Matthew Sheahan, Land Rover BAR launches latest Americas Cup boat T2, but what’s different?, Yachting World, 6 October 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  15. ↑ Helen Fretter, Land Rover BAR launches its third America’s Cup test boat, ‘T3’, Yachting World, 26 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  16. ↑ Kate Laven, Ben Ainslie in surprise defeat at America's Cup World Series in Naples, The Telegraph, 21 April 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  17. ↑ Gavin Clarke, Oracle Team USA sailors admit breaking America's Cup rules, The Register, 12 August 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  18. ↑ America's Cup Jury, Jury Notice JN096, 8 August 2013
  19. ↑ Martha Kelner, Ben Ainslie vows to bounce back after costly America’s Cup semi-final exit, The Guardian, 9 June 2017
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