Sports Directors of Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher have announced that 12 teams of young sailors have been invited to the 2017 Red Bull Youth America´s Cup.
All the team members are in the age group 19-25.
Red Bull Youth America’s Cup started in 2013 by the two Olympic legends from Austria with the objective of identifying sailing talents and to provide a pathway to a sailing career in America’s Cup.
The 2017 race will use the AC45 foiling catamarans for the first time in the history of the Cup. Steinacher said that the teams are picking younger sailors as the new boats are suitable for younger people who can handle the high speed with confidence.
Apart from the six teams affiliated with the full America’s cup team, another six teams have been identified by Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher to compete in the race. The selection was completed after extensive trials of 20 teams registered for the process. Now the number of fleets to compete in Bermuda in June 2017 has reached 12 teams.
In June, Bermuda offers excellent sailing conditions with favorable winds and sparkling water. AC45F boats with 45 feet length and speeds of 35 knots are challenging watercrafts and are used by the expert sailors in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series.
2017 will see for the first time teams from countries such as Spain and Austria. These teams are expected to announce their rosters ahead of the qualification race in May in Bermuda.
Qualification will see six boats in two pools fighting for their spots in the final. Four top teams from each pool will battle for the honors. Hagara also announced that eight sailors, including Blair Tuke and Peter Burling of the Kiwi team, which won the first Red Bull Youth America’s Cup have already entered the competition.
