Renishaw supports INEOS TEAM UK in December 2020 America’s Cup event

16 December 2020

Global engineering company, Renishaw, is proudly supporting Sir Ben Ainslie and INEOS TEAM UK as they race in the PRADA America's Cup World Series from December 17th to 19th. As the team's official precision measurement and additive manufacturing (AM) partner, Renishaw has contributed its engineering expertise to help build the technologically advanced boat the team will race, as it challenges to win the 36th America's Cup in March 2021, a competition that Britain has never won before.

The America's Cup World Series is a preliminary regatta ahead of the America's Cup which will see all four teams representing UK, USA, Italy and New Zealand, race against each other for the first time in their respective AC75 boats. It is the first and only opportunity for the teams to race before the challenge for the America's Cup starts in earnest in the Prada Cup, the Challenger Selection Series, on 15th January 2021.

The America's Cup is the oldest international trophy in world sport, predating the modern Olympic Games by 45 years. In 1851, the United States' schooner ‘America' beat a fleet of British yachts in a race around the Isle of Wight, England, leading to the creation of a new challenge trophy open to sailing clubs from around the world. This is the second consecutive challenge for the British team having previously competed in the 35th America's Cup in Bermuda. In 2018, Ben Ainslie joined forces with Sir Jim Ratcliffe INEOS' Founder and Chairman, to form INEOS TEAM UK.

INEOS TEAM UK will be sailing its AC75 boat ‘BRITANNIA', which can reach speeds of up to 50 knots — over 60 miles per hour. The boat has a 75-foot foiling mono-hull built and equipped with some of the best of British technology. Renishaw has supplied products and expertise in the fields of position encoders, manufacturing process control and Raman spectroscopy, alongside additive manufacturing support to optimise the design and manufacture of bespoke structural components.

“Renishaw is proud to contribute its expertise to INEOS TEAM UK to help it develop an incredibly technologically advanced boat,” explained Chris Pockett, Head of Communications at Renishaw. “The UK's bid showcases the best of British engineering and we hope the team can make history by being the first British team to win the America's Cup.”

“INEOS TEAM UK's enthusiasm throughout this project is infectious and has inspired us to strive for the best we can achieve,” commented Finlay Evans, Technical Leader in the Encoders Product Division at Renishaw. “As a British manufacturer, there is a sense of camaraderie. It is very rewarding to be part of Britain's bid in the competition and we expect all the races as part of the 36th America's Cup to be an exciting spectacle.”

“We're really excited to be working with Renishaw,” said Sir Ben Ainslie, Team Principal and Skipper of INEOS TEAM UK. "They've been a fantastic partner to us and we're really looking forward to the challenge to bring the Cup home in 2021 with their support.”

To find out more about Renishaw's extensive range of technologies visit www.renishaw.com/products and for more information about INEOS TEAM UK and its 36th America's Cup challenge visit www.ineosteamuk.com.

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