San Francisco（USA）– Masanobu “Nobu” Katori joins Japan SailGP Team. Nobu is a seven time America's Cup veteran, and is the one of most experienced data analysts in the sailing world.
“After the Sydney SailGP event it became clear that we needed an expert in data analysis to help the sailing team get the maximum out of these high tech boats. Clearly the Australians were sailing a step above us at the first round in Sydney and so we hope that by strengthening our coaching and data analysis team, we will be able to bridge that gap moving forward.” said Nathan Outteridge, helmsman and CEO of Japan SailGP Team.
He continued, “I am happy to announce that Nobu will be joining Japan SailGP Team, starting with us at the second event of the season in San Francisco. I have had the pleasure of working closely with Nobu over the last two America’s Cup campaigns with Artemis Racing and I am looking forward to working with him again.”
Kazuhiko “Fuku” Soufuku, COO of Japan SailGP Team is a longtime friend of Nobu and is thrilled to have him join the team.
"There is no doubt that Katori-san participation will be a strong force for the team. His world-class experience and sense of battle will greatly contribute to the further improvement of the performance of our team. I also hope that his future activities will inspire many young Japanese engineers, and I'm really happy to be able to challenge together again. "
Nobu has joined the team in San Francisco, and it has already begun to see positive results of his data analysis during practice racing on Tuesday.
“After the Nippon Challenge finished in 2000, I did not expect to become a member of a Japanese team again. I worked at several America's Cup teams over more than decade, and had almost given up the hope of competing in a world class sailing event with a Japanese team. However, when Fuku asked me to join the team, I felt it was my destiny. Like Fuku and Nathan, I have worked with many team members previously, so while I am a new member of the team it also feels familiar. My role is to utilize shared data and provide the sailing team guidance to make better decisions and win races. I also hope that I can contribute to the development of the next generation.”
