8:40 PM Wed 9 Sep 2009 GMT
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'Grant Dalton, Yves Carcelle (Louis Vuitton) and Bruno Trouble at the Louis Vuitton World series and World Sailing Teams Association launch'
Louis Vuitton
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Following the presentation of the Louis Vuitton World Series ValenciaSailing talked to Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand, who was repeatedly mentioned by all participants as a key person in the establishment of the World Sailing Team Association and the new professional yacht racing circuit.
Dalton spoke about the Series and his team.
Valencia Sailing:
Why did Team New Zealand and you personally decide to become a key part of the World Sailing Team Association and the Louis Vuitton World Series?
Grant Dalton:
Well, we are a big team and that makes us important but other than that we are just part of a number of people that were brought together. One of the strengths of what we are trying to do is that there is no one team or organization like Louis Vuitton that has total control. We have preferential shareholders of the company that have majority voting rights.
Valencia Sailing:
Who are these preferential shareholders?
Grant Dalton:
BMW Oracle, Synergy, Artemis and us. That's all for the moment. All the teams that have paid the fee to enter have one collective vote and Louis Vuitton has another vote as well. That's how we run it and BMW Oracle has been very important at this stage. The idea is to have a collective decision-making process that makes smart decisions and doesn't get rolled by one overbearing party. That's new for the sport of sailing and I think nobody has tried to do it before. Maybe it's not possible, maybe it won't work but we think it is a better way and we'll try.
Valencia Sailing:
You are having an excellent season with your TP52 campaign and unless some major disaster takes place you'll win the AUDI Medcup championship next week. Why do you need to create a new circuit and not continue with the TP52?
Grant Dalton:
We are an America's Cup team and this is why we exist. The TP52 is undoubtedly good but we are not sailing match racing. Only God knows when the America's Cup will sort out and as a result the LVWS gives us a really good match racing program next year. We will most likely come back to the TP52 and this combination will give us a very good season. If you also add the RC44 circuit where most of our guys sail, you have a full season. As I said, our main objective, the only reason we exist is to try to get back into the America's Cup one day when it happens and the LVWS is the best way to do this.
For the full interview
click here
by ValenciaSailing.com
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