Royal rumble
All four America Cups’s teams are set to battle for training space on Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf as they test their new AC75s in the lead up to the World Series in December.
Written by Jack O'Rourke
02 September 2020
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American Magic’s latest AC75 boat has arrived in Auckland, and the team will be hopeful that they can be the first to launch the second generation boat in New Zealand.
This boat will be the one American Magic use for the Prada Cup challenger series, starting in January 2021.
The new boat was flown to New Zealand in a chartered cargo plane after leaving American Magic’s boatbuilding yard in Rhode Island, U.S.A.
The team’s new foiling machine is featuring some upgrades, and will differ from Defiant not just aesthetically, but also technically.
Backed by the New York Yacht Club, American Magic have been quick to establish themselves as true contenders, and were the first team to officially sail and foil their first AC75 Defiant last September, and have been training on Defiant since July.
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They were also the first team to set up a base in Auckland, but will soon be joined by Italian challenger of record Luna Rossa and Team INEOS UK are now making their moves to Auckland.
They will be testing their second generation boats on the Waitemata Harbour and Hauraki Gulf.
Luna Rossa completed their training period in the waters of Cagliari last week and are moving their base of operations to Auckland. They will be joined by INEOS Team UK, who will be keen to test their latest AC75.
All four teams will face off for the first time at the America’s Cup World Series event on 17-20 December.
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