America's Cup: "This is what we work, live and breathe for!"

A few weeks before the start of the third regatta in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series, the America's Cup organisers have started to publish a series of portraits of well-known Cup players. Dean Barker is introduced in the video clip. Born in Takapuna, New Zealand, in 1972, the professional won the America's Cup in 2000 with Team New Zealand and lost the trophy three years later to his predecessor Russell Coutts and his then Swiss team Alinghi. In 2007, Emirates Team New Zealand lost again to Alinghi off Valencia, losing the last and decisive race by one second at the finish. Barker was also skipper when the New Zealanders lost to the American Oracle Team USA in the 34th Cup duel after taking an 8:1 lead and seven match points. New Zealand's world-famous sailing team and Dean Barker then parted ways because the relationship between Barker and team boss Grant Dalton had broken down.

The film portrait introduces Dean Barker as the new boss of SoftBank Team Japan. The New Zealander talks about his journey in the America's Cup, the bitter defeat in the last Cup duel and his team's plans for the 35th Cup cycle

Now the father of four children - Mia, Olivia, Isla and Matteo - is back in the Cup business. As CEO and skipper of the newly formed Softbank Team Japan, Barker is once again reaching for the most famous trophy in international sailing at the age of 43. "I've put half my life into the America's Cup," says the fair sportsman, "it's what we work, live and breathe for." He turned his sailing hobby into a career early on because he finds sailing extremely motivating and enriching. Barker says of the Japanese team's chances of success in the current Cup cycle: "I really believe that this team can be successful. Of course we're going out there to win."

The third and final regatta of the 2015 World Series will take place from 16 to 18 October in the future America's Cup area off Bermuda. Five teams will meet there for the last time this year to determine the winner of the season. After the first two regattas off Plymouth (Great Britain) and Gothenburg (Sweden), Barker's former team from New Zealand (72 points) leads ahead of Sir Ben Ainslie's Land Rover Team BAR (65 points) and the American Cup defenders (64 points). Barker's newcomers from Softbank Team Japan are surprisingly in fourth place, leaving the already experienced Swedish team Artemis and Groupama Team France behind.

Click here for the ranking list of the America's Cup World Series.