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Sailing races come on various styles and levels. However, when you’re looking for the most competitive, most expensive and the most thrilling, you can’t go wrong with America’s Cup. This is where we see some of the biggest names in sailing from around the world take part in a race.

If you’re not too familiar with the Americas Cup race, the best place to start is right here as we go through some of the most interesting facts about the race:

Britain Hasn’t Claimed the Title Once

British racers are incredibly successful with various other forms of racing. However, with the America’s Cup, they just can’t seem to get head and claim at least one title.  The race took place in Cowes back in 1851 and even there they were unable to claim it. Of course, the Americans have the advantage and have claimed it 28 times while Switzerland and New Zealand have managed it twice and the Australian team only once.

Russel Coutts is the Most Successful America’s Cup Racer

New Zealand born sailor Sir Russell Coutts has the most impressive record when it comes to the America’s Cup. Coutts has been part of a winning team five times and even managed to win it three times as a skipper.

He formed part of the Oracle team as the CEO where he managed to win it another 13 times with just eight losses in three years, ranging from 2010 to 2013. Now, he is the America’s Cup Event Authority CEO and has been organising the 35th America’s Cup.

Racing Destinations are Winner’s Choice

Being a winner in the America’s Cup comes with more than a huge reward and the title as they can choose where the next race will take place. The winners also get to decide what the rules are for the following event and the boats that will be used, which could give them a huge advantage in more ways than one. Not only might they have the perfect boat for the next race, but they might just have more experience in the waters they choose.

America’s Cup Costs Hundreds of Millions for Each Team

As one of the biggest sailing races, it’s understandably how it can be the most expensive, especially when considering the technology of the boats. However, even with those costs excluded, the race itself costs $2 million just to enter for each team.

When it comes to the actual boats, some teams such as the Oracle team have keep known to spend around $200 million on developments. The BAR team from the UK has a budget of around £90 million, making this one of the most expensive sports in the world.

The figures mentioned above doesn’t include the costs to get to the boat to the racing destinations. Teams commonly encounter unexpected costs during race events or just before a race takes place, pushing up the price even more.