America's Cup 34, TeamOrigin critica il defender per la mancata condivisione

Roma- Come volevasi dimostrare... Avevamo notato già da alcune settimane qualcosa di strano, nel senso di monopolistico, nella comunicazione del defender Bmw Oracle Racing. Giunge oggi una conferma indiretta in una esplosiva intervista rilasciata da Grant Simmer, ex di Alinghi e ora CEO dell'inglese TeamOrigin, che critica il defender per un approccio poco condiviso e il challenger of record Mascalzone Latino Audi Team per una supposta mancata operatività.

Notiamo anche che TeamOrigin e Bmw Oracle Racing saranno tra pochi giorni protagionisti a Cowes della The 1851 Cup, disputata proprio con gli ACC5 nelle acque dell'isola di Wight.

Qui sotto il testo dell'intervista rilasciata da Simmer al sito TheDailySail.com:

Increasing disquiet in the established America's Cup community over the 34th America's Cup surfaced in an interview with the British America's Cup team, Team Origin, now directed by former Alinghi design boss, Grant Simmer (AUS).

In the published in TheDailySail.com Simmer and team boss, Sir Keith Mills say they are not happy with the lack of response and role of the Challenger, Club Nautico di Roma in the 'consultation' process.

TheDailySail reports that: 'The main issue it seems is the invisibility of the Challenger of Record, the Club Nautico di Roma and their team Mascalzone Latino. Since the press conference in Rome on 6 May, Mascalzone Latino Team Principle Vincenzo Onorato has been decidedly below the radar and there has been little sense that the Challenger of Record has been performing their function of keeping the Defender in check via the ‘mutual consent’ process we heard so much about prior to the 33rd America’s Cup. In fact there are startling similarities between the 'silent partner' role the Club Nautico di Roma appears to be playing at present in the design of the 34th America’s Cup to that of the CNEV in the build-up with Alinghi to the 33nd.

As Sir Keith Mills puts it: 'We have tried to contact them [Mascalzone Latino] on a number of occasions and had no response. They are not interested in talking to anyone.'

TeamOrigin has written to Onorato and proposed a group of challengers take on the responsibility of Challenger of Record as a group, like the Challenger Commissions that have been formed prior to all the America’s Cups since 1995. 'We’re asking for that so that it is the challengers acting as a group together. We won’t always agree, but they never have in the past and you get strong and weak challengers and that is part of it, but as a group we go and say to the defender ‘we want to do this’,' says TeamOrigin CEO Grant Simmer.

Simmer continues: 'Maybe when we know more about the event, that is going to happen. We are hopeful. We are asking for that and other challengers are as well, but ultimately it is Vincenzo’s decision whether he wants to do that. Certainly it is easier for them if they want to get a lot of stuff done quickly to do it with one party. Maybe they want to define the event together in a much smaller group and then any changes in the future will be agreed as a group of challengers. We’d be happy with that.'