Emirates Team New Zealand will provide a live demonstration in Dubai this week of what it takes to mount a serious Americas Cup Challenge.
Making their sailing debut in the UAE, the Emirates Team New Zealand crew will take part in a three-day Pro-Am series of match races with Emirates Airline guests and media off Dubai International Marine Club.
For the teams of invited guests it will be a rare opportunity to be involved in a race series
with some of the best sailors in the world as they continue their preparations for the 2007 Americas Cup.
“We’re all looking forward to sailing in Dubai for the very first time,” said Emirates Team New Zealand manager Grant Dalton. “This is the home of Emirates Airline, our naming rights sponsor, whose support for the team has given us the chance to challenge for the 2007 Americas Cup.
“We wanted the local sailing community, and the Dubai public at large, to be given a proper introduction to Emirates Team New Zealand. At the same time, the format is really going to test our crews’ leadership skills because it will be our job to teach these guests how to race a yacht, which is something that takes years of practice.”
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “We’re very happy to be welcoming Emirates Team New Zealand to Dubai and look forward to seeing the crew in action.
Emirates Team NZ 2
“Emirates has built up and developed some very strong properties in its portfolio of sports sponsorships. Our sponsorship of Emirates Team New Zealand is an excellent way for us to connect with our customers, and the Pro-Am Series will be an exiting and educational exercise for our guests, the media and the sailing community in general.”
Beginning on Tuesday, the Emirates Team New Zealand Pro-Am will involve three days of competitive match racing using two V1-30/Lutra sports boats and two Beneteau-7.5 metre boats. Each of the four boats will be skippered by Emirates Team New Zealand crew members who will delegate roles to each of the invited guests and instruct them how to perform in actual race conditions.
The team fly to Dubai aboard one of Emirates’ three daily flights from Auckland. Headed by Grant Dalton, the full Emirates Team New Zealand line-up in Dubai is Stu Bettany, Jeremy Lomas, Grant Loretz, Matthew Mason, Chris Ward, Andy Fenwick, Andrew McLean, Andrew Hemmings and Tony Thomas.
Built in Dubai, the V1-30/Lutra being used in the Pro-Am was given its competitive debut in January in the Dubai Match Race. This was launched by Dubai International Marine Club in response to increasing interest in match racing in the UAE which has been fuelled by Emirates Airline’s sponsorship of Team New Zealand, and the growing appeal of the Americas Cup.
The new match race series was staged in conjunction with the Dubai Junior Regatta, which, with the benefit of Emirates sponsorship, has developed over the past six years into one of the world’s leading junior sailing events.
