After winning the 11th race of the challenger series to claim the Louis Vuitton Cup, Ineos Britannia are the official Challenger for the 37th America’s Cup.
They will now face the Cup defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, in the first-to-seven series Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match from 12 Oct 2024.
Winning the challenger series, means that the Ineos Britannia team will be the first British yacht to contest an America’s Cup Match since the 12-metre Sovereign in 1964.
Ineos Britannia led from the start of race 11, taking a 10sec lead at Gate 1 and maintaining that lead at all seven gates, despite the Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli strongly challenging, and forcing them to keep a close cover throughout.
Ben Ainslie’s team eventually posted a 17sec victory to clinch the overall win 7 – 4 and became the official Challenger for the 37th America’s Cup.
The Ineos Britannia team for the America’s Cup is expected to be as in the Challenger Series: Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher as Co-Helms, Bleddyn Mon and Leigh McMillan as Trimmers and four Cyclors, who power the boat’s hydraulic system.
The four Cyclors on-board Britannia come from a pool of nine athletes, who rotate on and off the boat between races to ensure maximum performance.
They include America’s Cup veterans David ‘Freddie’ Carr, Ben Cornish, Matt Gotrel, Neil Hunter and Luke Parkinson, as well as America’s Cup rookies Harry Leask, Matt Rossiter, James Skulczuk and Ryan Todhunter.
