Aftfifl-Pflfffiffififf BThfl fi J/Aft 163Although the entire team was disappointed not to make the
podium in New York, all that is in the past with Chicago’s morale-
boosting success.
“We definitely feel like we’ve been making good progress,” says
Barker. “We’ve been working hard on all our communication, teamwork,
and it feels like it’s working well. Next year is when it counts so if we can
continue to make good gains then I’m really happy. The most important
thing is how well we can combine the different personalities and
cultures to make us a strong group. We do require everyone to speak
and understand English as communication is key. We are, however,
looking to build more of a Japanese identity within the team.”
STJ’s Tactician and Manager is British sailor Chris Draper, 37, who
is competing in his second America’s Cup. “I think we are now at a stage
where we are more than capable of winning an ACWS event,” says Draper.
“We have shown that in a lot of the racing we’ve done already and with the
training we have done we have all the pieces of the jigsaw. We are a new
team and a new group of people and the potential is enormous.”
And he didn’t stop there. “Long term, I think there is absolutely no
reason why we can’t win the 35th America’s Cup.”
Since Chicago, the team has been test racing furiously with Oracle
Team USA and Artemis Racing in the waters around Bermuda
ahead of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth
that runs July 22-Aug 4, where they will be hoping to capitalise on
Chicago’s success.
America’s Cup Bermuda takes place in June 2017 between the
Challenger – the winner of the 2017 Louis Vuitton Cup – and the
Defender, Oracle Team USA as winner of the 2013 America’s Cup.
softbank-team-japan.americascup.com
http://www.americascup.comTHE IMPORTANCE OF SPONSORS
“Like any commercial sponsorship, there needs to be value
both ways to make it worthwhile. We now have commercial
partners with Softbank, 2XU, Yamaha and Airbus and will
continue to look for new opportunities over the coming months.
“As we build the STJ brand and reintroduce the Japanese
audience to the America’s Cup after a 15-year absence, we will work
with our partners to increase exposure for the America’s Cup and
SoftBank Team Japan in both Japan and on a world stage.
“With the ACWS travelling to many different countries,
and the television product now being shown in many different
territories, there are great opportunities for both brand exposure
and hospitality, which are unique experiences for different
companies. The different partners also help to build the identity
and culture of our team.” – Dean Barker
LOUIS VUITTON AMERICA’S CUP
WORLD SERIES LEADERBOARD
- Emirates Team New Zealand 295
- Land Rover BAR 285
- Oracle Team USA 285
- Artemis Racing 262
- SoftBank Team Japan 259
- Groupama Team France 234