Landlocked county 'centre of America's Cup yacht design'

A landlocked county is the "centre of the universe for America's Cup yacht design" Olympic gold medallist, Sir Ben Ainslie, said.

The Ineos Britannia AC75 was built over two years at Turweston Airfield, in Brackley, Northamptonshire.

Sir Ben, who is team principal and skipper of Ineos Britannia, said it partnered with the Mercedes Formula 1 team on the top-secret mission.

He added that "a huge amount of effort has gone into" the project and it was a "big relief" to get the yacht across land and sea to its current location in Barcelona.

In 2021, the most decorated Olympic sailor in history teamed up with Brackley-based Mercedes Formula 1 team in their quest to win the next America's Cup - the oldest international sporting trophy.

It takes place this summer in Spain.

"Brackley, Northamptonshire, is the centre of the universe now for America's Cup yacht design", Sir Ben said.

"A huge amount of effort as gone into it, it was a pivotal moment in the campaign and we're really looking forward now to getting the boat up to speed ahead of the racing that starts at the end of August."

Dave Endean, the chief operating officer added that Northamptonshire "was a good spot to be away from prying eyes".

Geoff Willis, the technical director for Ineos Britannia and Mercedes-AMG F1 applied science, said: "There's a huge amount in common in the world of Formula 1 and the world of high-performance sailing.

"It's been an interesting fusion of two different cultures."

He said America Cup rules meant the yacht had to be built in the country of the challenger, so it was fitted out, assembled and tested in Northamptonshire.

"Sometimes people look at you with a wry smile that you're attempting to build an America's Cup yacht in a position that's probably one of the points further away from the UK coast that you can get," he said.

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