Jimmy Spithill will return to ORACLE TEAM USA as the team rebuilds with a focus on winning its third consecutive America’s Cup.
Jimmy Spithill will return to ORACLE TEAM USA to race for the 35th America’s Cup. In last year’s thrilling race on the Bay, his team was down 1-8 to a strong Emirates Team New Zealand, but Spithill led his team to eight consecutive wins to retain the Cup. Photo by Joel Williams
Published: March, 2014
Jimmy Spithill will return to ORACLE TEAM USA as the team rebuilds with a focus on winning its third consecutive America’s Cup.
The youngest skipper ever to lead a team to victory in the competition for the oldest trophy in international sport, Spithill says the lure of working with team principal Larry Ellison and CEO Russell Coutts again was too strong to ignore. "There were some very good offers out there, but at the end of the day, Russell and Larry, I wouldn’t be here without them," Spithill said.
Spithill has made the America’s Cup his life’s work, beginning as a 20-year old skipper of the Young Australia team in the 1999/2000 Louis Vuitton Cup. He’s raced in every event since then, making steady progress towards the victory in 2010, when he became the youngest skipper to win the trophy.
He followed that with the successful defense last September, when ORACLE TEAM USA completed an amazing comeback to win the America’s Cup. Down 1-8 to a strong Emirates Team New Zealand, Spithill led his team to eight consecutive wins to retain the Cup.
Spithill said that the competitive challenge of the America’s Cup and the winning atmosphere on the team were also factors that pulled him back, and now Spithill is looking to make it three wins in a row as skipper of ORACLE TEAM USA. "Being a part of the team when we first won in 2010 and then to be able to get back-to-back wins and now to have an opportunity at a third, it’s been an amazing ride," he said. "I feel fortunate to have been a part of it since day one and I’m looking forward to going at it again."
Spithill sees the America’s Cup as the ultimate team challenge, a measuring stick for the individual in a team environment.
"It’s so difficult to pull it off. But when you go through it all and you do it as a team and you do pull it off, it’s just so rewarding," he said. "As a person, you learn a lot about yourself through these campaigns. I enjoy that it’s a team environment, where you’re working towards a goal but learning about yourself and trying to get better each day. This is one of the ultimate tests—athletically, mentally and in team management—that you can find. It’s very addictive."
As he looks ahead to the 35th America’s Cup, Spithill said he thinks ORACLE TEAM USA will once again be pushed to the limit. And he can’t wait to take up the challenge.
"It’s going to be one hell of a battle, one hell of a fight," he said. "I just can’t wait to get back out on the water and get racing. The prospect of going head to head with a few of these teams and the personalities involved. It’s hard to wait to be honest. I’m looking forward to training and to racing in the AC World Series again."
Meanwhile, ORACLE TEAM USA announced that it will begin its sailing program in Sydney, Australia this month. The team has scheduled practice against Team Australia, representing the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, which will be the challenger of record for the 35th America’s Cup.
The team has shipped one of its AC45 catamarans to Australia for spring training before returning to the United States later in the year. "This training session on Sydney Harbour is the first of a series of trials and training sessions for our sailing team and will be the first time our sailors have been together since the America’s Cup," said Tom Slingsby, sailing team manager, who will be returning to ORACLE TEAM USA along with Spithill.
"We’ll welcome back some old faces and introduce some new blood as we look for the right crew combination for the sailing team for the 35th America’s Cup. These sessions will be coordinated with Team Australia and we’re looking forward to sailing against this new team," Slingsby said.
