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BMW ORACLE Racing sailing team sets sights on Lake Garda

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Article Date: 2008-07-04
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BMW ORACLE Racing returns to lake racing next week for the RC 44 MALCESINE SLAM Cup on Italy’s beautiful Lake Garda. Russell Coutts and Emirates Team New Zealand’s helmsman, Dean Barker, will alternate as tacticians for Larry Ellison at the helm.
The Cup will also see BMW ORACLE Racing helmsman James Spithill with Team Ceeref owner Igor Lah vying to defend their current class leadership, following the last round in May at Lake Traunsee in Austria.
“Lake Garda always poses an interesting challenge with its distinctly different morning and afternoon breezes,” team skipper Russell Coutts said. “This is turning out to be a fantastic and very close series, so we are looking forward to mixing it up with some great competition.”
Other BMW ORACLE Racing sailors competing this week with Ellison and Coutts are Dirk de Ridder, main trimmer (NED); Ross Halcrow, trimmer (NZL); and Alan Smith, bow (NZL).
Spithill has Michele Ivaldi (ITA) and Joey Newton (AUS) racing with him on Team Ceeref.
BMW ORACLE Racing’s Alberto Barovier (ITA), Noel Drennan (IRL) and Daniel Fong (NZL) are competing with owner Patrick de Barros. BMW ORACLE Racing sailing coordinator Julien di Biase (SUI) joins his teammates on board the de Barros entry.
Dean Barker will sail the match race series with de Barros on Espirito Santo, and then will compete with BMW ORACLE Racing as tactician with Ellison for the fleet regatta when he and Coutts swap boats.
The racing will start on Wednesday 9 July on Italy’s largest lake, which is at the foot of the Alps. The MALCESINE SLAM Cup is BMW ORACLE Racing’s third event on the 2008 circuit and the fourth regatta of the season for the RC 44 season championship.
BMW ORACLE Racing is the Challenger of Record for the 33rd America’s Cup, representing the USA’s Golden Gate Yacht Club of San Francisco. The team is preparing for one-on-one match in multihulls against Swiss Defender, Team Alinghi. A New York court is expected to confirm the date for the two-out-of-three match to take place soon with the venue still to be nominated by the defender.
BMW ORACLE Racing is based in Valencia, Spain. The team’s multihull race yacht for the 33rd America’s Cup is under construction in Anacortes, WA, USA.
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