Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Spithill looks for '3-peat' with ORACLE TEAM USA

by ORACLE TEAM USA 3 Feb 2014 23:04 PST 4 February 2014
Jimmy Spithill re-signs with ORACLE TEAM USA © Guilain Grenier / ORACLE TEAM USA

Jimmy Spithill will return to ORACLE TEAM USA as the team re-groups to win its third consecutive America's Cup.

The youngest skipper to ever lead a team to victory in the competition for the oldest trophy in international sport, Spithill says the lure of working with team principal Larry Ellison and CEO Russell Coutts again was too strong to ignore.

"There were some very good offers out there, but at the end of the day, Russell and Larry, I wouldn't be here without them..." Spithill said.

Spithill has made the America's Cup his life's work, beginning as a 20-year old skipper of the Young Australia team in the 1999/2000 Louis Vuitton Cup. He's raced in every event since then, making steady progress towards the victory in 2010, when he became the youngest skipper to win the trophy, followed by the successful defense last September.

"Being a part of the team when we first won in 2010 and then to be able to get back to back wins and now to have an opportunity at a third, it's been an amazing ride. I feel fortunate to have been a part of it since day one and I'm looking forward to going at it again."

ORACLE TEAM USA completed an amazing comeback to win the America's Cup last year. Down 1-8 to a strong Emirates Team New Zealand, Spithill led his team to 8 consecutive wins to retain the Cup. He says the competitive challenge of the Cup and the winning atmosphere on the team, were also factors that pulled him back.

"This team is very competitive. The top guys are always surrounding themselves with very good people. There is no micromanaging on this team by Larry or Russell. They almost give you the burden of trust and that allows people to grow and learn and ultimately become better at what they do."

Spithill sees the America's Cup as the ultimate team challenge, a measuring stick for the individual in a team environment.

"It's so difficult to pull it off. But when you go through it all and you do it as a team and you do pull it off, it's just so rewarding," he says. "As a person, you learn a lot about yourself through these campaigns. I enjoy that it's a team environment, where you're working towards a goal but learning about yourself and trying to get better each day. This is one of the ultimate tests, athletically, mentally and in team management, that you can find. It's very addictive!"

As he looks ahead to the 35th America's Cup, Spithill says he thinks ORACLE TEAM USA will once again be pushed to the limit as the American team attempts to win the Cup for the third consecutive time. And he can't wait to take up the challenge.

"It's going to be one hell of a battle, one hell of a fight," he says. "I just can't wait to get back out on the water and get racing. The prospect of going head to head with a few of these teams and the personalities involved... It's hard to wait to be honest. I'm looking forward to training and to racing in the AC World Series again."

Other members of the ORACLE TEAM USA crew will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Jimmy Spithill will return to ORACLE TEAM USA as the team re-builds with a focus on winning its third consecutive America's Cup.

The youngest skipper to ever lead a team to victory in the competition for the oldest trophy in international sport, Spithill says the lure of working with team principal Larry Ellison and CEO Russell Coutts again was too strong to ignore.

"There were some very good offers out there, but at the end of the day, Russell and Larry, I wouldn't be here without them..." Spithill said.

Spithill has made the America's Cup his life's work, beginning as a 20-year old skipper of the Young Australia team in the 1999/2000 Louis Vuitton Cup. He's raced in every event since then, making steady progress towards the victory in 2010, when he became the youngest skipper to win the trophy.

He followed that up with the successful defense last September and now he's looking to make it three wins in a row as skipper of ORACLE TEAM USA.

"Being a part of the team when we first won in 2010 and then to be able to get back to back wins and now to have an opportunity at a third, it's been an amazing ride. I feel fortunate to have been a part of it since day one and I'm looking forward to going at it again."

ORACLE TEAM USA completed an amazing comeback to win the America's Cup last year. Down 1-8 to a strong Emirates Team New Zealand, Spithill led his team to 8 consecutive wins to retain the Cup. He says the competitive challenge of the Cup and the winning atmosphere on the team, were also factors that pulled him back.

"This team is very competitive. The top guys are always surrounding themselves with very good people. There is no micromanaging on this team by Larry or Russell. They almost give you the burden of trust and that allows people to grow and learn and ultimately become better at what they do."

Spithill sees the America's Cup as the ultimate team challenge, a measuring stick for the individual in a team environment.

"It's so difficult to pull it off. But when you go through it all and you do it as a team and you do pull it off, it's just so rewarding," he says. "As a person, you learn a lot about yourself through these campaigns. I enjoy that it's a team environment, where you're working towards a goal but learning about yourself and trying to get better each day. This is one of the ultimate tests, athletically, mentally and in team management, that you can find. It's very addictive!"

As he looks ahead to the 35th America's Cup, Spithill says he thinks ORACLE TEAM USA will once again be pushed to the limit as the American team attempts to win the Cup for the third consecutive time. And he can't wait to take up the challenge.

"It's going to be one hell of a battle, one hell of a fight," he says. "I just can't wait to get back out on the water and get racing. The prospect of going head to head with a few of these teams and the personalities involved... It's hard to wait to be honest. I'm looking forward to training and to racing in the AC World Series again."

Other members of the ORACLE TEAM USA crew will be revealed in the coming weeks.

oracle-team-usa.americascup.com

Related Articles

America's Cup: Luna Rossa's Challenge accepted
According to local media the Italian team, Luna Rossa has had its Challenge accepted by the Kiwis. Leading America's Cup journalist, Fabio Pozzo, reports that the Italian team, Luna Rossa has had its Challenge accepted for the 2027 Cup in Naples. Posted on 12 Sep
America's Cup: ETNZ's design boss on new AC75 Rule
Kiwi design chief, Dan Bernasconi on recycled AC75 hulls, electric power and other rule changes. Kiwi design chief, Dan Bernasconi on the use of recycled AC75 hulls, the switch to full electric power, and other changes. He claims there is plenty of performance gain left in the AC75 for the designer teams. Posted on 12 Sep
America's Cup: Class Rule and Tech Regs out
The America's Cup Class Rule and Technical Regulations for the Naples Match have been published With the clock ticking down to the start of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup in Naples in 2027, the AC75 Class Rules and Technical Regulations have been issued to all teams and published with a focus on cost containment. Posted on 11 Sep
America's Cup: Running silent and deep, again.
A look at the flotsam that has surfaced as the Cup teams again go into deep and silent negotiation. A look at the state of the Cup - given the three weeks of silence since the hasty final Protocol signing. Previously a long deep dive by the teams has indicated that a lot of negotiation is underway. Here's what we've seen floating on the surface. Posted on 10 Sep
From The Other Side - The State of the Sport
The editors of Sail-World New Zealand and Inside Great Lakes Sailing discuss the state of sailing. The Editors of Inside Great Lakes Sailing and Sail-World New Zealand got together last week to shoot the breeze in an unscripted video discussion, without any pre-arranged "talking points" about various aspects of the sport. Posted on 5 Sep
Youth America's Cup set to continue in Naples
The Youth America's Cup is a sign-post to the future direction of the America's Cup itself. Since its inaugural event in 2013, the Youth America's Cup, designed as a competition for sailors under the age of 25, has always been the most remarkable sign-post to the future direction of the America's Cup itself. Posted on 4 Sep
America's Cup: Carlo's insights 1983-2024
Leading Italian lensman Carlo Borlenghi has been shooting the America's Cups for 41 years Carlo Borlenghi is the go-to photographer for many of the world's top sailing events and has covered every America's Cup since 1983 when he was assigned to the Azzurra team for Italy's first challenge. Posted on 30 Aug
America's Cup: A seismic shift for sailing
For the first time in its 174-year history, female sailors will be mandated onboard AC75s This week's announcement from the America's Cup felt momentous. For the first time in its 174-year history, female sailors will be mandated onboard AC75s at the pinnacle of our sport. Posted on 15 Aug
America's Cup: The Brave, New Protocol
The just announced Protocol for the America's Cup has many innovations and a few fish hooks The just announced Protocol for the America's Cup has many innovations, and maybe a few unintended consequences around the mandatory re-use of 2024 vintage AC75 hulls. Updated with a look at how the new Cup structure could work. Posted on 12 Aug
America's Cup: A "ground breaking" partnership
An innovative Protocol for the 2027 America's Cup has been agreed between RNZYS and RYS An innovative 11th hour Protocol for the 2027 America's Cup has been agreed between the Challenger of Record and the Defender. It creates a commercial framework for the current and future Cups, eases nationality rules, and has a quota for female sailors. Posted on 12 Aug
Sea Sure 2025Switch One DesignDoyle_SailWorld_728X90px_cruise BOTTOM