America’s Cup antagonist Jimmy Spithill has described Team New Zealand's new AC75 boat as “a beast”, predicting the new design will take the sport to another level.
Spithill re-joined Italian syndicate Luna Rossa this year after losing the America’s Cup last year as part of Oracle Team USA.
“This one will be another level, it’s extreme, it’s expensive…from what we’ve seen, it’s unstable,” Spithill said on CNN’s mainsail programme.
The new boats are expected to be quicker that AC50’s that were used in Bermuda.
Sir Ben Ainslie's Team UK are the first to launch a prototype but the Kiwis are taking a different tack. (Source: Other)
"The speeds we could have, it'll be a beast of a boat. It's out there," Spithill said.
"Will it work? That's the question. The America's Cup has always been at the leading edge of boats. Look at what's happened over the last decade. The AC72 kind of reminds me of this boat in that it is very, very powerful and never been done before."
Spithill famously capsized one of Oracle's AC72s ahead of the 2013 America’s Cup.
The first of the new America’s Cup boats are expected be launch from the end of March next year.
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