K-Challenge continues its preparation for the 34th America's Cup

[Source: K-Challenge] FINALLY! After several weeks of waiting, K-Challenge welcomes the decision of the New York State Supreme Court and Judge Cahn with satisfaction, since everything will be ruled on the water regarding the case which opposed Alinghi, the Defender, and BMW Oracle Racing, the confirmed Challenger of Record.

Thus, the 33rd edition of the America's Cup will be a duel between these two teams in multihulls, and will take place in 2008 or 2009.

That is to say, the next competition with selections between challengers (the 34th edition) will probably take place in 2011, in Valencia, as announced by Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing.

Yesterday evening’s breaking news was also welcomed with enthusiasm by all the America’s Cup and sports community, and it makes it now possible for K-Challenge to come up for the second time as a French challenger for the 34th America's Cup.

K-Challenge: a determined team gathered around a project

K-Challenge has started to work in all fields for several months with an intact determination in order not to waste time, in spite of the bounces which happened in the event lately.

The important thing was not to lose sight of the principal objective, which is to represent France in a competitive way for the next America's Cup opened to challengers.

In order to do that, Stephan Kandler brought the various actors who will constitute K-Challenge’s “core team” together in the sailing, technical and design fields. They’ve already put behind them all the team’s preparation phase to be able to enter directly in the heart of each subject at all levels. So the choice of the key people has already been done, and the first works have already started.

Stephan Kandler, K-Challenge’s CEO: “We are ready and happy to learn the decision from the New York Supreme Court. This proves that we made the good assumption since October 2007, while working in the shade with the objective to be able to take part in a competition in 2011. That will simply allow the team which we put together to continue on its way and to reach a higher speed. Besides, K-Challenge supports the initiative of a circuit with V5 ACC boats in 2008 with the other challengers, in order to start the sports activity as soon as possible.”

Thus, thanks to its experience in the 32nd America's Cup, the existing structure and the assets of this French team, K-Challenge was initially concentrated on a priority task to build a competitive challenge and to play a true role as outsider. This task was to gather the right people around its project for the 34th America's Cup.

Presentation of the programme and key members on March 27

The team has been working for several months, and the next stage will allow on March 27 to introduce the details of its program and its key members who will be the heart of the French challenger K-Challenge. It will also be the perfect opportunity for the team to introduce with pride its first sponsor who chose to support K-Challenge with this new project.