The series begins this July, with the first winner to be crowned in May next year
With final venue bids under review, the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) have released the inaugural America’s Cup World Series dates. The first half of the AC World Series will consist of five nine-day regattas in 2011, finishing up with three more by mid-2012. The winning host cities will be revealed in the coming weeks.
“We are incredibly pleased with the potential choices we have before us, with venues that offer the kind of up-close action that fans want to see,” said Richard Worth, Chairman, ACEA. “We are finalising our slate now. We feel very confident that each America’s Cup World Series event will be first-class, creating a real foundation for future editions of the circuit.
“ The AC World Series hopes to bring America’s Cup-level racing and the America’s Cup experience to top international venues. Televised to expose millions more fans to the sport of high-performance sailing, the Series will feature both fleet and match racing at each event, and at the end of each season, a champion will be crowned.
The 2011-2012 Series will be sailed in the AC45, launched in New Zealand last month. Focused on creating more on-the-water excitement for both the teams and the fans, the AC45 wing-sailed catamaran was designed for speed and close racing. While capable of speeds of up to 30 knots, it remains nimble enough to handle the tight, tactical race courses planned by America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM).
The 2012-2013 season will be sailed in the larger and faster America’s Cup boats, the AC72, and its winner will be crowned just prior to the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup (America’s Cup Challenger Series) in July 2013.
2011-2012 America’s Cup World Series Schedule*
Event One: 16 – 24 July
Event Two: 13 – 21 August
Event Three: 17 – 25 September
Event Four: 15 – 23 October
Event Five: 10 – 18 December
Event Six: 17 – 25 February, 2012
Event Seven: 14 – 22 April, 2012
Event Eight: 19 – 27 May, 2012
*Dates are subject to change
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