America's Cup boss Sir Russell Coutts has hit back at criticism of Oracle Team USA and the event organisers after more rule changes that appear to favour the defender.
Last week Oracle and four of the challengers voted to allow teams to sail and test with each other in Bermuda. Previously that had been barred under the protocol for the event after organisers failed to publish dates for any coordinated sailing.
Emirates Team New Zealand were the only syndicate not to vote in favour of the move, and posting a video of Oracle and Land Rover BAR on the water in Bermuda.
Coutts, CEO of Oracle Team USA and the America's Cup Event Authority, singled out NZME journalist Dana Johannsen, describing her articles about the rule change and Oracle's involvement in the qualifiers as "self-serving". He also claimed the reports were unbalanced and inaccurate.
"It appears the silly season has once again arrived, driven by a select few in the media who seem to find it difficult to separate fact from fiction, or research a balanced story, for the benefit of their readers," Coutts wrote.
Coutts defended Oracle's place in the qualifiers by listing a number of occasions when the cup holder and challengers faced off, and questioned who benefitted more. However, each of the races Coutts named were practice races outside of the challenger series.
The Louis Vuitton Qualifiers beginning on May 26th will be the first time in the 166-year history of the event that the defenders will sail in competition against the challengers before the Cup Match.
"It would therefore seem to be somewhat ridiculous, and perhaps bordering on arrogant, to assume that racing against the defending champion would somehow favour the defender. The reality is that it might and it equally might not," the five-time America's Cup winner wrote.
Coutts went on, using cost-cutting as another justification for Oracle's place in the challenger series and the benefit of exposure to the American market for sponsors.
"Most of the teams seem to want that, whether they are a challenger or defender in the future, and I am pretty sure that should New Zealand win this edition, its sponsors, including the New Zealand government, would likely wish for the same!"
Team New Zealand also drew the ire of their former skipper, after opposing a number of moves from Oracle and the other syndicates. Without the usual challenger of record working with the defender, a majority vote has been used for any decisions - but with the majority of the challengers having strong links with Oracle, the defender largely has free reign.
A recent framework agreement designed to lock in future details for the event was also not supported by Team New Zealand.
"While it's certainly the right of Team New Zealand to have an alternative view, I have to ask, 'What is it?', because they certainly haven't shared it with any of the current teams - and despite being given every opportunity to do so on multiple occasions, they have refused to even engage with the process."
Despite Oracle being backed by the fifth richest man on the planet, Coutts had a crack at Team New Zealand's finances.
"The reality is that not only are Emirates Team New Zealand backed by multiple billionaires, but they continue to receive millions of dollars of NZ Government funding," Coutts wrote.
"In addition to the $5 million of taxpayer funds paid to the team by the NZ Government in late 2013, the team can draw down up to $15 million of further government funding under the Callaghan Innovation scheme."
Callaghan Innovation is a Government agency that funds technology research and development, which Oracle has also received a grant for through its New Zealand-based boat builders.
The Kiwis also lost out on continued Government investment after the qualifier regatta was stripped from Auckland, a decision that an arbitration panel is believed to have sided with Team New Zealand over.
Coutts finished his post by hoping Team New Zealand embraced the event with a "positive attitude".
If anything, the Kiwis have been relatively quiet in the build up to the event in Bermuda - largely because of rules preventing teams from saying anything negative about the event or organisers.
As sail-world.com pointed out in a post on Coutts' response, the same rules don't apply to the organisers.
Newshub.
