Ben Ainslie and Britain’s America’s Cup sailors are to rejoin the GC32 Racing Tour in 2019, racing as INEOS Rebels UK, at the GC32 Villasimius Cup in southern Sardinia next week.
For Ainslie and the team, this season will see a big focus on crew rotation and development.
Joining the Rebels line-up will be ‘interns’ Oli Gerber and Ben Cornish, who after an intense selection process became part of the senior Cup team back in January. Gerber will bring GC32 experience, having previously racing with the INEOS Rebels in the Extreme Sailing Series, Cornish is new to the class.
Completing the INEOS Rebels UK line up in Villasimius will be two Australians – America’s Cup veteran Joey Newton and former Olympic 49er gold medallist Iain Jensen on jib and mainsail trim respectively.
No1 Finn sailor and Olympic gold medallist Giles Scott will again be calling tactics.
Last week the INEOS Rebels UK team was out in Villasimius training and will have a few additional days immediately before racing starts on Thursday 23 May.
Also joining the GC32 Racing Tour will be CHINAone NINGBO, but the team led by New Zealand’s Phil Robertson has immaculate pedigree in the M32 catamaran class.
With this team Robertson won the World Match Racing Tour in 2016 and 2017 and with CHINAone NINGBO won the M32 World Champion last year.
This will be the first outing aboard a GC32 for the team who are also representing China on the SailGP foiling catamaran circuit.
2019 GC32 Racing Tour schedule
22-26 May: GC32 Villasimius Cup / Villasimius, Sardinia, Italy
26-30 June: GC32 World Championship / Lagos, Portugal
31 July-4 August: 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE / Palma de Mallorca, Spain
11-15 September: GC32 Riva Cup / Riva del Garda, Italy
6-10 Nov: TBA
