Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

TEAMORIGIN presents its line-up

by Tim Kelly 14 Sep 2007 04:44 PDT 14 September 2007

Sir Keith Mills and Mike Sanderson presented the sailing, design, shore and management teams at the core of TEAMORIGIN, Britain’s challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup.

At the Southampton International Boat Show today TEAMORIGIN’s Sir Keith Mills and Mike Sanderson, Team Principal and Team Director respectively, announced a roll call of British and international sailing, design, boatbuilding and management talent. This group will take TEAMORIGIN towards its ultimate goal of winning the America’s Cup, the oldest sporting trophy in the world, sailing’s Holy Grail and the only major sports trophy Britain has yet to win.

“This is a British challenge. At least 50% of our team is British. The funding is British, the flag is British, the race boats will be built in Britain, GBR will appear on the mainsail of every one of our racing yachts,” said Sir Keith. TEAMORIGIN is a new team, but 70% of the line-up have previous America’s Cup experience at the highest level. Four members of the team are past America’s Cup winners, five are round the world race winners and two are recent Olympic gold medallists. Ten countries are currently represented and more than half of the team is British-born.

“This is a modern team, diverse in its origins but already solidly thinking as one group with one aim - to ultimately win the America’s Cup for Britain,” explained Team Director Mike Sanderson. Britain’s Challenge for the next America’s Cup will be led on the water by triple Olympic medallist Ben Ainslie OBE.

“This is a fantastic challenge and I am really honoured to be in the position of leading a sailing team which I believe has the ability to go out and win the America’s Cup. We now all need to get on with the huge amount of work that lies ahead of us,” said Skipper Ben Ainslie.

Sailing, a mechanised sport, and the America’s Cup, a design and technology-led competition, means that TEAMORIGIN will require a powerful and experienced design office. This will be lead by Briton Andy Claughton, Argentinean Juan Kouyoumdjian, and German Mickey Ickert, all highly experienced with complimentary talents in the refined fields of America’s Cup yacht design.

“I’ve been involved in designing and testing America’s Cup yachts since the 1980s, a period which has spanned three different types of yacht, five different venues and many different teams. Heading into a new era involving a fourth new class, but this time for a powerful British team, is really stimulating for me personally,” said Design Co-ordinator Andrew Claughton.

To be held in 2009 in Valencia, Spain, preparations for the 33rd America’s Cup are picking up pace around the world and a huge amount of interest in TEAMORIGIN’s make-up will be expressed by the five other teams currently entered. “I’m particularly excited that we have been able to recruit the people to tackle the task. I believe that with the group presented today TEAMORIGIN has the talent resources necessary to design, sail, maintain and manage a world class America’s Cup team,” said Sir Keith.

TEAMORIGIN is a commercially-led team and one that will run on a mixture of private and sponsor funding.

“I’m also happy to announce that Charles Dunstone has decided to join me as a partner in financing this project, something that I believe lends enormous credibility to the seriousness of this campaign.”

As a keen amateur sailor and one of Britain’s leading businessmen Charles Dunstone has a strong personal interest in TEAMORIGIN as many members of his crew from previous campaigns have joined the team.

“I believe it is really important that Great Britain, the origin of the Cup, is represented competitively at this level. I believe that with the team that Keith and Mike have put together we can win. Consequently I have decided to lend my full personal support,” explained Charles Dunstone.

“The modern European America’s Cup competition has created an opportunity that hasn’t existed before. It is now possible to run a commercially viable team at this level. We have the best design, sailing, financial and management talent of a generation available to us. Never before has a British team had all the ingredients necessary for success at the same time. As a result we can compete at the America’s Cup in a manner that no previous British challenge has done before,” concluded Sir Keith.

The main body of the team are:

NAMEROLENATIONALITY
Sir Keith Mills Team Principal British
Charles Dunstone Partner & Private Investor British
Mike Sanderson Team Director/Afterguard New Zealander
Ben Ainslie Helmsman/Skipper British
Iain Percy Tactician British
Rob Greenhalgh Strategist & Traveller British
Ian Moore Navigator British
Andrew Simpson Aft Grinder & Strategist British
Neal MacDonald Mainsheet Trimmer British
Robbie Naismith Trimmer New Zealander
Chris Brittle Grinder British
David Carr Grinder British
Ian Weighell Grinder British
Pawel Bielecki Grinder Polish
Julien Cressant Mastman French
George Skuodas Mastman British
Kevin Batten Mid Bowman New Zealander
Justin Slattery Bowman Irish
Matt Cornwell Bowman British
Nick Bice Boat Captain/Pitman Australian
Juan Kouyoumdjian Principal Designer Argentinean
Andy Claughton Design Coordinator British
Stan Honey Technical Director & Navigator American
Mickey Ickert Aero Director German
Bruce Thompson Senior Rig Designer New Zealander
Rodrigo Azcueta Performance Analyst Argentinean
Gonzalo Kouyoumdjian Static Analyst Argentinean

Related Articles

America's Cup: Another sponsor signs for Italians
Luna Rossa has announced that Unipol has renewed its trust in the team Luna Rossa has announced that Unipol has renewed its trust in the team and will accompany it as an official sponsor for the duration of the 38th America's Cup. Posted on 5 Jun
America's Cup fillibustered by Challengers
A Cup in turmoil - Protocol is unsigned - with entries due to open on Sunday. Updated story: America's Cup got underway in Rome on Monday, with Round 2 of the official welcoming ceremonies on Wednesday in Naples. However three teams are working in collusion and have again issued statements within minutes of each other. Posted on 29 May
America's Cup enthusiastically received in Naples
The Castel dell'Ovo, was the venue for the arrival of the America's Cup in Napes The Castel dell'Ovo, set on the tuft peninsula of Megaride was the outstanding setting for the Official Host Venue Presentation of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup. Posted on 28 May
Italian PM welcomes America's Cup in Rome
Prime Minister Meloni set out a bold vision for the regeneration planned around AC38 The magnificent setting of the Casino del Bel Respiro, commissioned by Pope Innocent X in 1644, in the grounds of Villa Pamphilj, was the outstanding and historic setting for the formal presentation of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup. Posted on 26 May
America's Cup: Big changes in crew line-up
Women and Youth crews to sail in AC75 in the next Cup - Final Draft of AC38 Protocol Historic changes are proposed in the Final Draft of the Protocol released by the America's Cup Defender. For the first time a Female and Youth crew members will be part of the six-crew lineup on board the all-electric AC75s. Posted on 23 May
America's Cup: The Blitz of Statements
Various parties associated with the America's Cup released statements calling for more transparency Various parties associated with the America's Cup released statements calling for more transparency in the America's Cup. Emirates Team New Zealand responded by releasing what is tagged as the Final Draft of the Protocol. Posted on 23 May
America's Cup: Emirates Team NZ respond
Emirates Team New Zealand has responded to the statements sent overnight (NZT) Emirates Team New Zealand has responded to the statements sent overnight by two Challenger teams calling for more transparency in the negotiations over the Protocol and venue for the 38th Match. Posted on 22 May
NYYC American Magic team statement
Concerns over transparency and cooperation necessary to secure a fair Protocol Over the past seven years, we've competed with pride, purpose, and perseverance in two editions of the America's Cup. It has been an honor to represent the New York Yacht Club and the United States on the global stage. Posted on 22 May
Athena Racing concerned over 38th AC transparency
Around the recent announcement of a Host City for the Cup in 2027 Athena Racing, representing Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd. as Challenger of Record for the 38th America's Cup, is concerned by the ongoing lack of transparency around the recent announcement of a Host City for the Cup in 2027. Posted on 22 May
America's Cup: Part 2 - No Excuse to Lose
The last race of the (63+254i) America's Cup has begun where tension deepens and strategy sharpens The last race of the (63+254i)th America's Cup has begun. Earth's syndicate, led by the New York Yacht Club, faces off against the Thalassocratic League of Deniau in a final match — winner takes all. Posted on 18 May
Maritimo 2023 S600 FOOTERExposure MarineSea Sure 2025