Peyron to helm Alinghi with Bertarelli

Switzerland's Ernesto Bertarelli, the boss of America's Cup defenders Alinghi, says he will share helming duties with France's Loick Peyron when the 33rd match gets underway tomorrow.

The 44-year-old said it would be an "honour" to share steering duties with Peyron, one of the world's most successful multihull sailors, and he challenged the boss of Alinghi's rival Oracle, Larry Ellison, to helm his entry in the race, which is sometimes dubbed sailing's 'Formula One'.

"Does he want to come and helm his boat to find out who is best?," he said.

Bertarelli said it would be very "valuable" to have Peyron, who joined Alinghi last July and who has been a key part of their training programme, at the helm.

Oracle's USA, a giant three-hulled trimaran, will be trying to unseat Swiss defender Alinghi's Alinghi 5, an equally large two-hulled catamaran in the best-of-three competition.

Bertarelli and Ellison, two of the world's richest men, have been embroiled in a legal battle over the rules of the next America's Cup since Alinghi won the last edition, in Valencia in July 2007.

The Supreme Court of New York ruled in April that the Cup should be settled by a one-on-one multihull duel between the two sides in February instead of the traditional fully-fledged regatta involving several teams.

But Oracle in December launched a new legal challenge against Alinghi that accused the Swiss syndicate of infringing nationality rules by using US-made sails for its catamaran.

The New York court is due to consider that case on February 25.