Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has “parted ways” with his America’s Cup partner Sir Ben Ainslee and revealed he intends to win sailing’s most famous race without the British Olympic legend.
In a statement announcing the split, Ratcliffe opted against noting Ainslee’s efforts in leading INEOS Britannia’s two attempts at the America’s Cup, amid reports of tension between the pair.
Ainslee, 47, is the most successful sailor in Olympic history. He won medals at five consecutive Games from 1996 to 2012, including four golds in a row between 2000 and 2012.
In a statement, INEOS said it intends to race as INEOS Britannia in the 38th edition of the America’s Cup which will be held in New Zealand. Ainslee has previously said he intends to compete for the next America’s Cup.
“Unfortunately, INEOS Britannia and Sir Ben could not find agreement to move forward following the conclusion of the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona”, INEOS said.
Ratcliffe’s decision to pursue Americas Cup glory ends speculation that he would be stepping back from sailing to concentrate on helping United find success under the club’s new head coach Ruben Amorim.
“I am enormously proud of what we achieved in Barcelona in developing a British boat that was truly competitive for the first time in decades. It set new benchmarks for British sailing, including winning the Louis Vuitton Cup for the first time, and taking races off the Defender in the finals for the first time in 90 years,” Ratcliffe said.
We will now build upon this for the 38th America’s Cup through the INEOS challenge and already have 100 scientists and engineers working on the design of our AC38 yacht.”