The Ultimate Sailing Machine; BMW Dives into America's Cup.(Revs)

Byline: JAN TEGLER Here's a riddle. What is a German auto manufacturer doing helping an American sail team challenge the Swiss defender of sailboat racing's biggest prize? Two words-structural optimization. The BMW you know-builder of benchmark sedans, heavy hitter in Formula One, and participant in sports and touring car racing-dipped its toes in sailing's equivalent to F1 in 2002, sponsoring billionaire software mogul Larry Ellison and his Oracle Racing team. Finishing third in its challenge for the 31st America's Cup behind Team New Zealand and winner Alinghi, Oracle will ...