America's Cup- Dalton comes out strongly in favour of San Francisco

by Richard Gladwell and Radio LiveSPORT on 21 Dec 2010
In a 40 minute interview on Radio LiveSPORT this morning, he made it clear that a US venue was far more suitable for Emirates Team New Zealand.

'San Francisco would be way better to us, it is not that far away, it blows – like Fremantle and is a natural amphitheater,' Dalton said.

'We need a venue, because we have to get going. The venue decision changes the sponsor mix for us', he added.

Already Team New Zealand has some sponsors interested in Toyota and Omega, and possibly Emirates – and he described the US market as being the 'last frontier: for the Middle Eastern airline.

'We look at the whole environment with the new boats, the amphitheater and San Francisco is the preferred venue for us.'

Although he has taken on a new team to undertake the due diligence, on a Challenge, but Dalton says they are 'only ticking over' until the venue is decided.

One of those comes from the Skunkworks team who did the do the U2 Spyplane, and the Stealth Bomber and the Raptor.

'The wing is the 900 pound gorilla in the room, get that wrong and no matter how good you are with the rest – the boat won’t be fast', he told the Radio LiveSPORT audience.

Dalton says the new technology in the America’s Cup, and the infusion of new specialists has bought down the costs of the people they have involved so far. 'They are working for realistic salaries now, where before it was out of control. Others have taken pay cuts', he added.

In other areas of the interview, Dalton discussed his and skipper Dean Barker's respective motoracing talents. And the effect of obsession in the America's Cup and various players of the Cup in previous days. In terms of his obsession with the America's Cup, he puts it this way: 'I'm not obsessed with winning the America's Cup, but I am obsessed with beating other bastards!'

And on his old adversary, Alinghi's Brad Butterworth: 'You can't be that much of a smart-ass and endear yourself to the public' and more....

For the full interviews in two parts on Radio LiveSPORT http://www.radiolivesport.co.nz/Audio/ThingsWeveSaid/tabid/251/Default.aspx!click_here.

Or http://www.radiolivesport.co.nz/Audio/Grant-Dalton-on-LiveSPORT-part-1/tabid/252/articleID/8163/cat/26/Default.aspx!Part_1 and http://www.radiolivesport.co.nz/Audio/Grant-Dalton-on-LiveSPORT-part-2/tabid/252/articleID/8164/cat/26/Default.aspx!Part_2

For more interviews see www.radiolivesport.co.nz