BMW Oracle Racing celebrates 33rd America’s Cup win at White House

by Jane Eagleson on 1 Jul 2010 BMW Oracle Racing team celebrated their historic America’s Cup win at the White House with President Barack Obama on Tuesday.

Led by team owner Larry Ellison (USA) and representing San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club, BMW Oracle Racing won the America’s Cup in February – the first time an American team has won the Cup in 18 years.

'We are enormously proud to bring the America’s Cup back to the United States after a very long absence,' Ellison said. 'This team represents what can be achieved when talented people pursue their dreams with a single-minded sense of purpose. The America’s Cup is the pinnacle of every sailor’s ambition; now that we’ve won, we will focus equally hard on successfully defending the oldest trophy in international sport.' The America’s Cup represents one of the most demanding sporting and technological achievements in the world. The oldest trophy in international sport, it has been contested 33 times, and held by just six yacht clubs over its 159-year history.

Ellison’s BMW Oracle Racing team is an international line-up of the best sailing, design, engineering and boatbuilding talent in the world. With 150 people from 17 nations, the team built an innovative 90-foot trimaran, powered by a towering wing sail - the largest wing of any type ever constructed - to prevail 2-0 over the Swiss defender, Alinghi in a match off Valencia, Spain in February.

The trimaran, USA 17, was a reflection of the American tradition of innovation and cutting-edge technology. USA 17 is the fastest and most technologically advanced Cup boat in history and, like several of Ellison’s previous America’s Cup boats, USA 17 was built in Anacortes, WA. The sailing team then spent over one year testing and refining the design at its training base in San Diego, CA.

The America’s Cup has been to the White House on one other occasion - President Reagan welcomed the iconic Cup skipper Dennis Conner to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue after his American team won the trophy back from Australia in 1987.

The visit to the White House marked the beginning of an East Coast tour for the BMW Oracle Racing team and the America’s Cup.

On Wednesday, the team made an appearance on ‘The Early Show’ on CBS in New York City, before skipper Jimmy Spithill rang the opening bell of the NASDAQ exchange.

The tour continues on Thursday in Newport, Rhode Island, where the Cup will be on public display and the team will be featured at a Sail Newport luncheon and a special presentation for junior sailors at Fort Adams.

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