Green Comm Racing and RCNV launch Americas Cup challenge

Green Comm Racing and RCNV launch the challenge of sustainability for the America’s Cup © Pierre Orphanidis / Green Comm Racing

The Real Club Nautico de Valencia (RCNV) and Green Comm Racing announced the details of their Challenge for the 34th America’s Cup at a press conference Thursday afternoon in Valencia, Spain.

The Green Comm Racing team, representing Spain’s RCNV, completes the field of nine teams from eight nations that will be on the starting line in 10 AC 45 catamarans at the first America’s Cup World Series event in August in Cascais, Portugal, the first competition in the lead-up to the 34th America’s Cup.

The team’s objective is to promote and manage the “Green Revolution” by leveraging the media impact of international sport’s oldest trophy. The aim is to give visibility to the challenge of sustainability on a global scale by promoting the development of new technologies and new endeavors in the field of Green Tech.

The team, led by Francesco De Leo (former Manager Director of Telecom Italia, former Director and Head of Strategy and International Operations of Wind and 1999 Global Leaders for Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum), includes Marco Nannini - CEO (former Management Consultant to The Boston Consulting Group and Roland Berger) and Luca Devoti - Sport Team Manager (Silver Olympic Finn sailing and a successful sailing entrepreneur).

The athletes who are part of the team are young and have an impressive track record in Olympic classes. The new America’s Cup will be raced in faster boats which will be physically more demanding than ever: a young team will be positioned to provide a competitive advantage.

Green Comm Racing will be receiving its new AC45 multihull in July in order to ramp up the training sessions ahead of the first AC race in Cascais (Portugal).

The RCNV will not only be the Green Comm Racing team’s operational base but it will be the global hub for selecting the next generation of talent through a number of trials which will be open to the best young sailors in Spain and across the world.

To address the challenge of designing the AC72, Green Comm Racing has engaged two leading universities, University of Pisa and UCLA, both world class institutions working in the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Sensory Wireless Networks. As a starting point for the development of the AC72, the team will take advantage of the existing design package prepared by ACRM.

Green Comm Racing has a long term vision focused on sustainability. Interbrand, Sim2, Prodea Systems and Expo 2015 are among partners that have joined RCNV and Green Comm Racing for the launch of the challenge for the 34th America’s Cup; more partners will be announced in the coming weeks.

Richard Worth, Chairman, America’s Cup Event Authority, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome the Real Club Nautico de Valencia to the 34th America’s Cup, representing a nation known for its rich maritime history and its significance to the America's Cup. The Green Comm Racing, with their commitment to not just sailing excellence but also a sustainable future, will be a great complement to our strong group of competitors.”