52 SUPER SERIES partners with 11th Hour Racing

52 SUPER SERIES partners with 11th Hour Racing © 52 Super Series

The world's leading international grand prix monohull circuit, the 52 SUPER SERIES, has signed 11th Hour Racing as its exclusive sustainability sponsor. The sponsorship will see the five-regatta 2015 circuit adopt and model environmentally-responsible practices and rethink the way resources are used by competitors and spectators at all 52 SUPER SERIES EVENTS.

Agustin Zulueta, CEO of the 52 SUPER SERIES said: "We are very excited to partner with such a well-established and forward-thinking organization as 11th Hour Racing. We are all sailors together on this circuit; whether or not we are actually racing, we all share the same concerns about the state of our seas and oceans."

Jeremy Pochman, Co-Founder and Advisor of 11th Hour Racing, commented: "11th Hour Racing partners with high-performance event organizations committed to transforming their operations to improve the health of our oceans. The 52 SUPER SERIES management and teams have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability. We are thrilled to see these efforts become an integral part of the 52 SUPER SERIES this season, and believe this partnership will redefine sustainable practices for the entire series of events."

11th Hour Racing, a program of The Schmidt Family Foundation, aims to increase the public understanding of the oceans, find solutions to environmental challenges facing marine resources, and promote stewardship of the seas through the platform of sailing.

This highly successful international racing circuit draws the best sailors from all over the world, and with its wide audience it is the perfect platform to raise awareness of the environmental impact major sailing events can have on our oceans. The 52 SUPER SERIES managers and stakeholders have been seeking support to help minimize this impact, and promote positive sustainable practices at a local and global level.

Tom Burnham (Quantum Racing) added: "Quantum Racing decided to "go green" with reusable water bottles three years ago with the help of 11th Hour Racing. It has been a great partnership and we saved about 19,000 single-use plastic water bottles so far. We are delighted to see a change towards more sustainable practices in the world of competitive sailing, and we are really excited about the new partnership between the 52 SUPER SERIES and 11th Hour Racing, which will enable all the TP52 teams to benefit from the support of this forward-thinking organization. We hope that this will inspire more sailing teams and events to follow guidelines that benefit the health of our oceans and coastal waters."

As the season progresses, initiatives to reduce single-use products, minimize waste to landfill, educate spectators and teams, and improve on-water practices will be incorporated into the daily life of the teams and organizers, resulting in a cleaner event for sailors and spectators while respecting the host communities and waters. Updates on these efforts will be delivered via a series of feature stories in digital media and on 52 SUPER SERIES TV.

Racing for the 52 SUPER SERIES starts on May 18th at Ford Vignale Valencia Sailing Week, Spain, with a fleet of 12 TP52s including nine brand new builds.