The appointment was necessitated by the resignation of Club Nautico di Roma, which had been the Challenger of Record.
Credit : America's Cup
“We welcome KSSS and their team Artemis Racing into this role,” said 34th America’s Cup Regatta Director Iain Murray. “We also thank CNR and their team, Mascalzone Latino, for their efforts in the important start-up phase of the 34th America’s Cup. While we are disappointed to lose a great Italian contender in Mascalzone Latino and CNR, we are confident in the leadership we anticipate from the KSSS and Artemis Racing.”Founded by businessman Torbjorn Tornqvist, first-time challenger Artemis Racing is stacked with America’s Cup experience and local San Francisco Bay knowledge. Team CEO Paul Cayard, a lifelong resident of the Bay area, has been involved with Cup teams dating back to the 1980s, first sailing with another Bay icon, Tom Blackaller, in 1983 aboard Defender. The two rejoined four years later aboard USA, a challenge from San Francisco Bay. For Cayard, the Cup on the Bay is a dream come true.
“I have been involved in campaigns to bring the Cup to San Francisco for over 20 years,” Cayard wrote in his Seahorse column in the March issue. “I am excited that it is finally coming to what is undoubtedly the best stadium on the planet in which to showcase sailing.”
Skipper Terry Hutchinson has been a Cup fixture for the past decade, first teaming with Cayard (and current ORACLE Racing tactician John Kostecki) aboard the San Francisco-based team AmericaOne in 2000. Cayard, Hutchinson and crew were eliminated in a thrilling Louis Vuitton Cup that was decided in Race 9. Cayard later sold the assets to Larry Ellison, which gave rise to ORACLE Racing nearly 11 years ago.
Additionally, Design and Performance Liaison Tom Schnackenberg has been a revolutionary in the Cup game stretching back four decades and has been on three Cup-winning teams, twice as a challenger.
CNR filed in February 2010 the first challenge for the 34th America’s Cup and thereby became the “Challenger of Record.” KSSS was the second challenger to enter, in November 2010 and, under America's Cup rules, automatically succeeds as Challenger of Record.
From America's Cup
