The team has acquired the Mascalzone Latino boat from the last America's Cup, now GER 72, and it is this boat, converted to Version 5 of the class rule that the team raced in 2005 and will race in 2006.
United Internet Team Germany started late to the project, although the talent and experience of Jesper Bank should allow the team some shortcuts past the usual growing pains associated with a new team. This German team is one to watch for improvement over time, as it should be advancing up the learning curve quite quickly over the next year or so.
The Germans came to the Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts in June with a goal of competing, and getting around the course in each race, a modest but realistic aim for a team that came to Valencia with a very small squad. In fact half the sailors on board had never sailed on a Cup boat before.
But it was soon clear that Bank and his men were better than expected, and the Germans tallied up three wins in the match races of Act 4, a tremendous result for the team. That put UITG in tenth place on the points table, and they replicated that result in the fleet races.
The Germans couldn't improve on that performance in the match races in Sweden, finishing tenth again. The team struggled in the heavier conditions, and suffered some crew injuries. But Bank rallied his men and rebounded in the fleet racing, climbing up to seventh place.
The end of the season was difficult for the Germans, as it was for many of the other smaller teams. Bank led his men to 11th place in the match races in Trapani, improving to ninth in the fleet series. The team is ranked 10th on the season championship table - a credible result for a new team.
After team management and ownership issues were sorted out at the end of the 2005 season, the team announced it was building one new boat to be delivered to Valencia early in the summer of 2006.
GER 89 arrived as promised in late spring, but the team didn't race it in 2006. The results were frustrating for Bank and his men, as they were stuck in 11th place all year. On the Louis Vuitton Ranking, the Germans are now well back of Shosholoza and it is unlikely they will be able to climb further up the table in Louis Vuitton Act 13. A better finishing position will have to wait for the Louis Vuitton Cup.
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