INEOS TEAM UK are proud to announce Harken as their latest technical supplier, supporting the team in their campaign for the 36th America’s Cup. The team have been working closely with Harken designing, testing and manufacturing componentry integral to the performance of the team’s test boat, coded named ‘T5’ and two AC75 race boats.
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Harken will also supply the team with deck hardware including winches and pedestals, gearboxes, blocks and hydraulic componentry produced in their two global factories; Pewaukee, Wisconsin USA and Limido Comasco, Italy.
INEOS TEAM UK Team Principal and Skipper, Ben Ainslie and CEO, Grant Simmer, both have historic relationships with Harken; Harken supported Ben during his successful Olympic campaigns in the Finn dinghy, - including London 2012 - and Grant has previously worked with the marine hardware company throughout his Cup career. “Each Cup cycle is unique. We well may look back on this one and remember it for these never-before-imagined AC75 foiling monohulls. With so much to learn and so much to create for the first time, we must limit risk wherever we can. Selecting Harken was the natural choice—as much for the confidence they’ll deliver, as for the quality of what they’ll build for our team,”.
Harken Chairman, Peter Harken on the partnership, “Harken is pleased to be extending our more than 40 year history of developing technology for the America’s Cup. This work we’re doing with INEOS TEAM UK represents some of the toughest challenges we’ll ever confront. It’s not going too far to say we built our whole company to be ready for what we’re doing here.”
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Mark Wiss, Harken Director of Custom and Grand Prix Sales continued, “Right now, INEOS TEAM UK components are traveling discretely through our factories. They’re moving from Engineering to Production to Testing, to the team. As we are called to do, we’re documenting precisely that they perform as designed. Harken is very proud that soon, they’ll be on the water. At The Front. It’s Game On!”
INEOS TEAM UK will launch their first AC75 race boat in the Solent this summer.