Aftfifl-Pflfffiffififf BThfl fi J/Aft 161This isn’t the only exciting news for SoftBank Team Japan. Going into
Chicago, STJ and their fans were still celebrating the announcement that
the series is heading to Japan in November. The Louis Vuitton America’s
Cup World Series Fukuoka will be the first leg to be held in the country,
and Asia. The eighth instalment, and the final event in 2016 ahead of
the May 2017 qualifiers in Bermuda, will take place in Jigyohama on
November 18-20, giving a morale-boosting home field advantage to STJ.
“With the races in Fukuoka in November, our goal is to not only
perform well, but to also introduce the Japanese to the sport, and build
faith and support in the team and the America’s Cup,” says Barker.
STJ General Manager and veteran crew member Kazuhiko ‘Fuku’
Sofuku, 49, is particularly ecstatic that the race will be taking his
team onto home turf in front of home supporters.
“For me this is a dream come true moment and I cannot be
happier,” Fuku says. “We had a great regatta in Chicago. We’re not
satisfied yet, but we proved that we’re improving. We’re headed in
the right direction – aiming to win the regatta which is the goal. We
have a really strong team, a small team, a limited budget, but we
have good people. We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing and
improve every day.”
The last time Japan had a team in the America’s Cup was 1999, with
Fuku crewing as bowman on monohull Nippon Challenge. “It’s been
tough since the 2007 America’s Cup to be on the outside, but I was
always hoping and thinking and preparing to be ready in case there was
a chance. And here it is. For me it’s a tremendous opportunity.”
His fourth America’s Cup experience sees him switch from monohull
racing to this year’s foiling multi-hull AC45F. “The new style of America’s
Cup racing in the catamarans looks great. It’s challenging, probably more
than in the past, but it also just looks like fun,” he said before the series
gets underway. “It’s good for our sport, good for our partners, and good