BMW ORACLE Team Wins 33rd America’s Cup

As some of you might know, BMW is not only a car and motorcycle manufacturer, but also has a great history involving yachting. The German car manufacturer is quite successful, as the BMW ORACLE Racing team has won the 33rd America’s Cup, the world’s oldest sporting competition which brings together the best professional sailors, yacht designers and boat builders in the pursuit of perfection.

The event, which took place in Valencia, was won by BMW ORACLE’s trimaran “USA 17”, with its 68-meter wing sail. They defeated the title holder, Swiss team Alinghi, in a best-of-three match.

“Congratulations to Larry Ellison and his whole crew!” said Ian Robertson, BMW AG Board Member for Sales and Marketing. “The goal we have all been working towards for over two and a half years has now been achieved. This has been a fantastic performance by the whole team. As Technology Partner, we have also made a successful contribution to winning the world’s most prestigious sporting trophy.”

“We have positioned BMW as a competent partner in competitive sailing and have firmly established the transfer of technology in the America’s Cup. On the construction side, BMW engineers have set new benchmarks for intelligent lightweight design. Added to which, among the relevant target group, BMW is the highest-profile brand in competitive sailing,” he added.

The future involvement of BMW in the America’s Cup will depend on the development and organization of the competition going forward. As Robertson explains: “We will make a decision on our further involvement in the America’s Cup over the coming weeks. What is already certain is that BMW will continue to be represented actively in yacht racing. We will go on playing an active role in raising global interest in sailing in the future and continue to use projects such as the BMW Sailing Cup and regional events in the various markets as a platform for customer relations and to further strengthen the BMW brand values.”