Team NZ adopts aggressive mindset
Team New Zealand have an increasingly aggressive mindset as the clock counts down on their defence of the America’s Cup.
March 6 marks one year until the America’s Cup Match in Auckland when the Kiwis will line out against the top challenger next year. But Team New Zealand say it’s about winning the America’s Cup, not defending it.
They’ve got a lot going on. They are pushing their development with the scaled down test boat and pushing ahead with the build of the second generation 75-foot foiling monohull that will be used for the winner-takes-all match.
The first boat Te Aihe has just switched container ships in Singapore on its way to Sardinia for the opening World Series regatta in Cagliari at the end of April – an event still on but with administrators eyeing the impact of the coronavirus in Italy on a day-to-day basis as the spread of the disease impacts more and more major sporting events.
A function at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron last night marked the 365-day mark on the countdown clock but most of the team members will be busy working rather than sipping champagne.
Team New Zealand chief operations office Kevin Shoebridge spoke of the shift in mindset within the team for this campaign after their stunning success in Bermuda in 2017 when they caught everyone unawares with their radical design.
‘‘For the challengers, all you are trying to do is win the cup. When you are the defender you also have other considerations, but at the end of the day, no matter who you are you still need to win it.
‘‘ So this mindset is a subtle change, but I think a correct one and it’s how we are all thinking here,’’ said Shoebridge.
In a game where time is the one commodity these bigspending teams can’t buy, Shoebridge felt his team were placed.