Harrison raises budget

GBR Challenge's backer says he will increase the £17 million budget if the designers need more funds

The design work is necessarily shrouded in secrecy but what we do know is that the team, which is led by Derek Clark, has at least two hull models which it is pursuing and a recent major session at the test tank at DERA (Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in Gosport) was regarded as very successful. A further comprehensive series of tests in the tank is planned for five weeks time.

Working alongside Clark in the core team are Jo Richards and the Japanese Computational Fluid Dynamic specialist Akihiro Kanai and his fellow countryman, the structural engineer Taro Takahashi. Feeding into them, and working in parallel, are a series of experts on various aspects of the design effort. Rob Humphreys is concentrating on hull forms, Hugh Welbourn is looking at foil shapes, while the designer Stephen Jones is also involved as is the aerodynamicist, Steve Fiddes.

Despite the undoubted challenge of making its first attempt at the ACC rule, the general feel is of a relaxed and confident atmosphere among the team who work on the top floor of one of the big sheds at the GBR Challenge base on the banks of the Medina river in Cowes. Although the construction on the hull must begin in less than five months time, it is thought work in some areas may begin earlier, for example, the deck, possibly some rudders and bulkheads.

Barnes, who has seen it all before, is encouraged by progress to date. "I think we've put together a very talented group of people with skills that all complement each other," he said. "Although some are relatively new to the America's Cup, they've already made fantastic progress and, design-wise, I'm not really worried about it at all."

While Harrison mulls over the numbers he is also actively chasing sponsors to help offset the cost of the programme. His hope is that commercial interests will recognise that the Challenge offers an excellent platform and, he says, early indications are positive with some companies contacting him, rather than the other way round.

This week he and his marketing manager Leslie Ryan begin a series of boardroom presentations and Harrison is hoping to conclude deals on sponsors within the next two months. "We have generated an air of interest, in fact some people have already phoned us up which is good isn't it," he said. "If we win the Cup this time, we defend it and that's easy, but if we are going to get a continuation of the challenge next time round, it's very important to me that I win a significant amount of sponsorship," he added.

There are rumours that the Challenge is talking to the McLaren Formula 1 team about a possible future tie-up but Harrison denied this. "To my knowledge at this stage, we have no discussions relating to Formula 1 people, unless my people are doing something I don't know about," he said.