LOUIS VUITTON LAUNCHES NEW WORLD SERIES FOR AMERICA'S CUP CLASS YACHTS

A NEW WORLD CIRCUIT FOR AMERICA'S CUP CLASS YACHTS HAS BEEN LAUNCHED IN PARIS. THE LOUIS VUITTON WORLD SERIES OF SAILING HAS BEEN CREATED WHILE THE HISTORIC AND GENTRIFIED AMERICA'S CUP IS LOCKED IN A PROTRACTED COURT BATTLE BETWEEN ORACLE AND ALINGHI. THE EVENT WILL BE UNDERTAKEN IN ASSOCIATION WITH A NEW PROFESSIONAL SAILING GROUP CALLED THE WORLD SAILING TEAM ASSOCIATION (WSTA). BILLED AS 'DYNAMIC AND AMBITIOUS', THE RACE PROGRAM WILL BE A DEVELOPMENT OF THE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL LOUIS VUITTON PACIFIC SERIES HELD IN AUCKLAND EARLIER THIS YEAR. THE FORMAT WILL HAVE 10 TEAMS RACING ONE-ON-ONE IN A ROUND-ROBIN SERIES BEFORE THE TOP TWO GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN A GRAND FINALE. THE CIRCUIT WILL BEGIN IN NICE IN NOVEMBER, THEN MOVE TO AUCKLAND IN MARCH BEFORE HEADING TO LA MADDALENA, ITALY, IN MAY. EIGHT ENTRIES HAVE SO FAR BEEN CONFIRMED FOR THE NICE REGATTA INCLUDING TEAM NEW ZEALAND, ORACLE, THE K-CHALLENGE AND MASCALZONE LATINO FROM THE LAST AMERICA'S CUP