BMW Oracle will look to compete in a match-racing series in New Zealand next year that was only created because of an America's Cup court standoff partly caused by the American syndicate.
BMW Oracle said Tuesday it would be contacting sponsor Louis Vuitton in a bid to enter the Jan. 31-Feb. 14 series that will feature six America's Cup teams racing for the right to compete against Team New Zealand in a final series.
"This is a great way to get everyone back on the water," BMW Oracle chief executive Russell Coutts said. "A race format aimed at close competition, this will be an event that sailors and fans will really enjoy."
Competitors will race on courses set on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour in Team New Zealand's America's Cup Class yachts NZL84 and NZL92.
The America's Cup has been left stranded due to an ongoing lawsuit between champion Alinghi and BMW Oracle.
International sport's oldest competition was originally scheduled to return to Valencia, Spain, in 2009, two years after Alinghi retained its title there. But a 14-month legal case remains in appeal court and it is still unclear whether the next edition will be raced solely between the Swiss champion and BMW Oracle or as a regular multi-team event.
