After the British and the New Zealanders, the American Cup defenders have now also unveiled their AC50 projectile and presented it to the public in Bermuda. American sailor Cooper Dressler and French coach Philippe Presti set the right tone. They played the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" on electric guitars for their futuristic twin-hulled vessel with the appearance of a Batmobile.
More than 15 designers and 50 boat builders have contributed to the design and construction of the "17", whose name is intended to continue the success story of US victories with yachts named "USA 17" in the 33rd and 34th America's Cup. The "17" not only fits in well with the year in which the 35th America's Cup duel will be held, but also with the birthday of Cup hunter and racing stable owner Larry Ellison, who was born on 17 August 1944 in the Bronx in New York City.
"17" is the name of the new Cup catamaran of Larry Ellison's Oracle Team USA, which is set to win the America's Cup with the team for the third time in a row
Around 85,000 hours of work went into the creation of the 15 metre long red and black racing machine with sails and foils. Experts from partners Airbus, BMW, Parker and Yanmar also contributed to the overall work of art of the racing boat. "This is the boat we will use to win the America's Cup!" said skipper Jimmy Spithill in his speech to the team and invited guests.
The new Cup catamarans are designed to reach speeds in the region of 100 kilometres per hour. They are also extremely manoeuvrable. One of the keys to victory is the ability of the crew and boat to sail as constantly as possible on the foils above the water. While the New Zealanders presented their Cup boat on Valentine's Day with foot pedals instead of grinder columns with cranks, the Americans are initially relying on the conventional grinder system. Dean Barker, former Team New Zealand skipper and currently racing for SoftBank Team Japan, said: "Good for them (ed.: the New Zealanders) that they are going for a different concept. All the teams have thought it through - we have and so has Oracle - but we don't think it will pay off."
