"The car manufacturer co-sponsoring Ellison's challenge is lobbying for a defence of the Cup in Germany," says the San Diego Union Tribune online. And the "Marin Independent Journal" also surmises that the Cup might not necessarily "come home" in the event of a victory.
Observers have already noticed that the BMW Oracle Racing Team no longer flies the American flag when it is towed to the race course. Is the team planning to organise the Cup along the lines of Alinghi? Whoever pays enough and has enough wind will be awarded the organisation?
"Apart from the fact that we are still a long way from the point at which we can start to think about the next alignment, this idea is absurd," says BMW Oracle spokeswoman Nicole Stempinski. "And Larry Ellison recently made it clear on his tour of America that San Francisco Bay would be perfect for a defence."
The USA is also still the focus for BMW. "There's nothing to the story. I can't imagine where it comes from," says Stempinski.
In fact, the Americans' fears seem unfounded. Ellison would probably never be happy again if he deprived his compatriots of the Cup, should he win it. But it is a nice idea. Because it may be a while before Jesper Bank and his men are ready to bring the Cup to Germany.
