A different kind of speed?

Wheels or waves? Red Bull don’t really show any preference to most forms of rush but there are aspects of MotoGP™ Grand Prix racing and this summer’s America’s Cup that are closer than you think.

By Adam Wheeler

In a few weeks the Mediterranean Sea around Barcelona will be cut by the speed and technology of some of the fastest manually powered marine vessels and skilled crews in international waters. Alinghi Red Bull Racing, one of six teams in the 37^th America’s Cup, will be clocking ‘knots’ and likely to be sailing up past the town of Mataro, a short distance from the Circuit de Catalunya -Barcelona where MotoGP was sliding rather than splashing at their own hectic pace during the penultimate weekend of May.

The Swiss effort has already spent almost two years designing their AC75 boat, and preparing for what is regarded to be the oldest continuous competition in international sport: the first event occurred in 1851 and with a jaunt around the UK’s Isle of Wight off England’s southern coastline. They have been based in a purpose-built facility in the heart of Barcelona’s old port since the summer of 2023 with an immense effort of staff, sponsors, partners and budget behind them. The outlay is necessary to fend off the ambition and the innovation of rivals from the USA, New Zealand, Italy, France and the UK.

Physique, and the ‘terrain’ of the courses are the most obvious differences between the sports but then some resemblances start to pop through. Aside from the Red Bull livery, the aerodynamic profile of the 23m AC75 competition boat is state-of-the-art. At full pelt, the boat flies on top of the water thanks to careful and considered deployment of the foil wings; the most crucial design element of each individual entry in the America’s Cup. The bulk of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing unit is made from semi-rigid carbon that is full of sensors and incredibly technical. The boat is followed by a howling ‘Chase’ vessel that is propelled by several 450cc outboards and contains work positions for laptop-equipped technicians that monitor the activity and performance of the AC75. 

Wings, aero, data: sound familiar?

Like Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Alinghi Red Bull Racing have also collaborated with Red Bull Advanced Technologies for the shape and efficiency of the boat. There are areas of the HQ in Barcelona that were highly confidential to the KTM group in September, simply because of the secrecy of the work on the ’24 model. The AC75 regulation has been in existence for six years. A new boat is designed every four years, so every possible idea to gain an advantage in the water is cherished and guarded. The same strive for marginal gains applies in the world of MotoGP and for any special characteristic the KTM RC16 prototype might have over rivals.

It might take the force of 39 KTM RC16s to be able to pull a AC75 up to speed but vehicles are motionless without talent to guide them and to prepare them. Brad and Jack count on a comprehensive gathering of technical minds at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (around 70 people in total). Alinghi Red Bull Racing, who have tasted America’s Cup victory twice, are a comparable size devoted to both the boats, the operation and the crews. Juxtaposed, MotoGP is a one-man sport once the lights go out on a Saturday and Sunday. The America’s Cup is a joint force. 

“I am in the ‘power group’ and we are responsible for providing the energy through a power system and for the other guys to trim the sails, everything above deck,” Barnabé Delarze, a former Pro rower, double Olympian, winner of the famous Oxford vs Cambridge race tells us. “We are eight in total: four in the power group and four in the driving group. It’s strange because we are in the same crew and on the same boat but it’s a completely different job, training and preparation. The driving group are more like the [MotoGP] ‘riders’: it is all about concentration, reaction times, knowledge and tactics. We are purely physical!” Teamwork is still key in both fields.