Battleground

Most of the America's Cup community believe that rigs and sails will be the big factor in Valencia in 2007. We ask sail software specialist Peter Heppel, previously with Oracle BMW, how the perception matches up to the reality

SH: Why are so many people so certain that rigs and sails are going to be 'the' big thing during this AC development cycle?

PH: Well, think of an F1 car and how finely tuned its wings are. The wind tunnels and supercomputers of the big teams are running 24 hours a day to find the shapes that give exactly the right pressure distribution to maximise downforce. The stronger teams are even now designing the way their wings flex, so that they can make the best of an uneven track.

If they can do it so can we. The design methods are here. We are used to seeing them in appendage design. The construction methods are here, with the maturing of filament sail technology. Our understanding of what is fast is getting there.

Ask an F1 designer what are the three top priorities, and the answer is 'aero, aero and aero'. I wish the priorities in Cup design were as simple. It's probably more like 'hydro, hydro, aero and moding'.

To read the remainder of this article please go to the July 2004 edition of Seahorse, available at selected newsstands or by calling: + 44 (0) 1590 671899 or by email at: info@seahorse.co.uk

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