America's Cup - Ainslie describes Simmer hiring as 'massive coup'

by Sail-World.com/NZ on 2 Nov 2017 In an interview published the the Daily Telegraph (UK), Land Rover BAR principal, Sir Ben Ainslie is obviously well pleased with the hiring of four times America's Cup winner, Grant Simmer (AUS) as the team's CEO.

Simmer was previously with Oracle Team USA and the Swiss Alinghi team, in a similar capacity.

In the interview with yachting correspondent Tom Cary, Ainslie says that although someone of Simmer's experience and ability comes at a premium, he expects the Australian to save the team money in the long term. The wily Australian is also expected to inject a very lateral view of the rules governing the America's Cup, which has given a real edge to other teams in which Simmer has been involved.

While Simmer's appointment with the British team will be seen in some quarters as signalling the end of Oracle Team USA's America's Cup aspirations, that is not necessarily the case, and the team backer, Larry Ellison is more than capable of signing key people - particularly over the next few months as most members of all existing America's Cup teams come off contract, or are looking at their plans for the next four years.

His engagement is a blow for the aspirations of a potential Australian America's Cup team - where Simmer's engagement would have been a key signing. It also indicates that Land Rover BAR is well-funded at this very early stage of an America's Cup campaign. In his final America's Cup media conference of the 35th America's Cup, Ainslie confirmed that although the team was making an early exit, they had re-signed all major sponsors and backers for a second Challenge in the 36th America's Cup.

Tom Cary writes:

Sir Ben Ainslie has described the signing of four-time America’s Cup winner Grant Simmer as a “massive coup” for Land Rover BAR, and one which will significantly improve his team’s chances of success in New Zealand in 2021.

Simmer was announced yesterday as the new chief executive of the Portsmouth-based team, replacing Martin Whitmarsh who will head up a newly-formed BAR Technologies division.

And Ainslie said Simmer’s vast experience could only be of benefit to his team, who were knocked out by ultimate winners New Zealand in the semi-finals of the playoffs of the last Cup in Bermuda in June.

Simmer has competed in 10 America's Cups, winning sport's oldest international trophy four times. Notably, the 60 year-old was on board for Australia II's historic victory back in 1983 when they broke America's 132-year stranglehold on the Cup.

He won twice more with Swiss team Alinghi in the Noughties and then again with Oracle Team USA in 2013 when Ainslie famously came on board as tactician and helped to turn around an 8-1 deficit in San Francisco.

Although there has been no official announcement, Simmer’s departure as CEO of Oracle strongly suggests Larry Ellison’s team will not be challenging again.

“It’s a massive coup,” Ainslie told Telegraph Sport of Simmer’s arrival. “I’m really excited about it. We’ve obviously worked together a couple of times before and to be honest he was the only guy I wanted.”

Ainslie said he hoped people did not view Whitmarsh’s move as a demotion. The former McLaren F1 team principal will remain an “advisor” to the team but has moved to head up a new BAR Technologies division, which has been created to commercialise technologies developed through the America's Cup team.

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