Ben Ainslie to helm British entry in SailGP as Ineos Team UK agree deal with global series

Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team has agreed a deal to take over Britain’s entry in SailGP with Ainslie himself to helm the boat in 2020.

Ineos Team UK have entered into a one-year commercial agreement with the new global sailing league, run by software billionaire Larry Ellison and former America’s Cup winner Sir Russell Coutts. Ainslie hopes to extend “beyond that” according to The Telegraph.

Ainslie believes that sailing in a different series in the run-up to the next America’s Cup in Auckland in 2021 will help his team’s hopes of becoming the first British winner of one of sport’s oldest trophies.

“Of course, our major focus remains on preparing and building our AC75 ready for AC36,” he says. “But it’s a four-year programme and, this being the development phase in what is a new class, most of our time right now is on building and testing the boat. There is very little actually racing.

“Entering SailGP gives us the chance to sharpen our competitive instincts in a really exciting league against high-quality opposition.”

SailGP is raced in modified versions of the 50ft catamarans seen at the last America’s Cup in Bermuda in 2017.

The inaugural season was won by Team Australia, helmed by former America’s Cup winner Tom Slingsby. They narrowly beat Team Japan, who were helmed by another former America’s sailor in the shape of Nathan Outteridge.

Ainslie said the opportunity to “sharpen his match racing skills” against the likes of Slingsby and Outteridge was a key factor behind entering the league, with Ineos co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe “fully on board with the decision”.

“We are in a critical 18-month window now as far as the America’s Cup is concerned, but on balance we think it is the right thing to do. I have discussed it with Jim and his instinct, like mine, is that we need to be doing more racing.”

Unlike other teams Ineos Team UK will underwrite their own SailGP campaign. Budgets are thought to be about $7 million (£5.5 million) per team per season.

“I think our arrival helps show there is a commercially sustainable model out there for SailGP,” Ainslie says.

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