America's Cup: "The Challengers Series" a behind the scenes look at INEOS Britannia
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 23 Mar 2024 02:55 PDT
INEOS Britannia - T6 - LEQ12 - Day 75 - Barcelona - September 21, 2023 © Ugo Fonolla / America's Cup
In what looks like a new series the 2024 America's Cup "The Challengers Series" takes you behind the scenes with INEOS Britannia in their attempt to win the America’s Cup for Great Britain
Episode 1 is all about Test Boat T6 - a longer and deeper dig into why the team decided to build a test boat, and the challenges they have had to overcome during its extensive testing period.
It features comment from design chief Martin Fischer on why the Brits decided not to upgrade their AC75, as did the three other teams from that campaign.
There's a good look at the string of disasters that have struck the Brits' test boat T6, with new video of each episode, and some frank analysis about what happened.
The video starts with the team launch announcement from the Mercedes AMG facility in Brackley, UK in October 2021 and continues through to January 2024.
For those who have followed the progress of the INEOS Britannia challenge, and wondered if there is a method to their apparent "madness", this video is a must see. Certainly in the run-up to the Cup, the Brits have pushed the edges of the design and testing envelope - and say their purpose is to learn all they can that will assist the design of the AC75.
Thankfully there is no overriding commentary and the team members tell the story. A refreshing approach.
In some ways it is a sequel to an earlier shorter video featuring team principal and skipper Ben Ainslie.