The second edition of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup 2017 for sailors aged 20 to 25 will see top national teams face each other in Bermuda during the 35th America’s Cup – and it’s now open for applications.
Six crews will compete through their affiliation with official America’s Cup teams, and up to 10 additional teams will be selected by the event’s sport directors Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher.After the selection process, these young sailors will race in the Qualifying Series. As a result of this the top eight teams will then take part in two days of fleet racing, which will be scheduled during the America’s Cup Finals in June 2017.
All racing will be done on the one-design AC45F foiling catamarans the America’s Cup teams are currently competing with in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. Double Olympic gold medalists Hagara and Steinacher will be responsible for the crew selection.
“In 2013 we proved the talent level of the sailors in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, with winner Peter Burling now helming the Emirates Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup challenge at the top of the leaderboard,” said Hagara. “And he’s not the only one: Blair Tuke and Guy Endean are also with the Kiwi team; Cooper Dressler has joined Oracle Team USA and Luke Parkinson is with Artemis Racing. For 2017 we are focused on bringing in more sailors from more countries, and I’m sure we will see even more making the move into the America’s Cup down the road.”
“The challenge gets harder and more exciting as we add the foiling element to the equation,” said Steinacher, talking about the AC45F boats. “I know we will be pushing these sailors out of their comfort zones, but that is why this is so compelling for the athletes.”
“It’s a great opportunity and you have to make the most of it,” added Burling in Oman where he helmed Emirates Team New Zealand. “You may only get one opportunity like this – get out there and have fun.”
“I have no doubt the teams that make it to Bermuda are going to feature some of the best young sailors in the world,” said Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. “There is now a pathway that leads to the America’s Cup.”
Information on application and selection process HERE.