The America's Cup is poised to return to its traditional multiple challenger format after US side Oracle won the 33rd edition of sailing's oldest and most prestigious trophy held in Spain. Oracle boss Larry Ellison said he had not yet decided on where to stage the next Cup – although he mentioned Newport, San Diego and San Francisco in the United States as possibilities – but he said the location must have room for many teams. “We have to develop bases for many teams because it is going to be a multi-challenger event,” he said after his side defeated Swiss defender Alinghi in the 33rd America's Cup staged off the Spanish port of Valencia. Under the Deed of Gift, the rules of the 159-year-old event, the winning team has the right to select a Challenger of Record which then works with it to set the rules and select the location for the next race. The Cup defaulted to a rare head-to-head duel between Oracle and Alinghi this year because two sides could not agree on the rules for a conventional regatta with several teams in a dispute that involved several court challenges. Oracle's trimaran beat Alinghi's catamaran during the second race of the best-of-three series on Sunday by a comfortable margin of 5min 26sec to defeat the Swiss side 2-0, becoming the first US team to win the Cup in 18 years.
