“We have heard Ernesto’s vision, but what we really need is his decision,” said Larry Ellison in a renewed call from the Golden Gate Yacht Club today for Ernesto Bertarelli to get the America’s Cup back on track.
There are some strong clues to how Ernesto is thinking, in an interview he gave to Isabelle Musy for the Swiss newspaper Le Temps. The Alinghi boss commented: “I expect violent reaction from many conservatives who will take me for being foolish and arrogant. Change is never fun.
“These reforms cannot be made in two days. Perhaps they never will. That is why we are going to go 200% on a multihull project, and accept the challenge of the Golden Gate Yacht Club until an alternative is presented. For the moment, Alinghi is left with no choice.”
Musy asked Bertarelli why this was the case.
“We had the choice between an appeal, which would further delay the deadlines, accept this challenge in multihulls, or go back to negotiate with Oracle something on which we have not able to agree on for the past four months. I cannot accept conditions so unfavourable.
“We might as well just take the silver ewer to San Francisco and offer it to Larry Ellison. For the general public, the stumbling blocks may appear as no more than details. They are not. We decided to abolish the principle of two-boat testing to reduce costs.
“This concept was introduced by Dennis Conner due to the lack of competition for the Defender, when he was alone in his corner, from the moment a Defender series no longer took place.
“If two-boat testing is prohibited, the Defender must be allowed to compete with others prior to the America’s Cup. Hence our intention to participate up to the semi-finals [of the Challenger series]. Oracle asked that we remove ourselves after the quarter-finals. But we know very well that great teams don’t show their true colours until the semis.
“By accepting our rules, Oracle know that it will be more difficult for them to win. By agreeing to their terms, we know that there was virtually no chance of winning. The situation is blocked and it is not acceptable. We must live with the times and modernise the America’s Cup to make it an event more open and accessible, rather than just a few wealthy people able to pay for it.”
So you are preparing for a duel in multihulls in 2008?
“With Larry, we will duel with two beautiful monsters. And whoever spends the most money will win.”
Musy asked Bertarelli if he would go ahead, even in the knowledge that he would be defeated by a fatter wallet.
“The reality is that today I am preparing for a race against Larry Ellison’s wallet. One day there will be safeguards on expenditure and costs. Otherwise, Larry will find himself alone, just like I was on Lake Geneva with my beautiful black catamaran, before the introduction of the D35 one-design class.
“Larry has an extensive team of architects who are working on an AC 90, but he also has some 20 people from the French multihull world who have already been working for several months. On our side, we have yet to commit to a specialist multihull design team. So far, my “designers” have worked on writing a rule for a new boat, the AC 90.”
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Tags: Alinghi, Americas Cup, Ernesto Bertarelli, Larry Ellison, Multihulls
