Yachting: Mystery pair sign on at last minute

Another two syndicates are set to join the list of challengers for the next America's Cup, taking the total to eight.

The first deadline passed on Friday with just six official entries, however event organisers revealed they had received the paper work from another two.

At the teams' requests the identity of the two concerned was not revealed.

One team is expected to be San Francisco's Sausalito Challenge, who recently announced their intention to enter after receiving support from the Sausalito Yacht Club.

Headed by Americans John Sweeney and Tina Kleinjan, Sausalito Challenge will reveal their sailing team next month and plan to buy a boat to use in next year's pre-regattas.

Although little has been heard from Italy's Mascalzone Latino since they bowed out of the last cup, some believe they could be the other to have filed their entry.

Following the loss of one of their main sponsors to Prada, it was assumed the syndicate was all but sunk.

However, it has now been reported they might have secured enough money for the challenge.

One team event organisers would desperately like to see on the startline is a Spanish challenge, considering they are hosting the 2007 event.

Some details were revealed last week about a syndicate called Desafio Iberdrola, headed by Agustín Zulueta, Pedro Campos and Calvo Sotelo.

For months the Spanish have been trying to finalise a challenge but have been plagued by inhouse fighting and arguments over which yacht club the syndicate would represent - Club Nautical of Barcelona or the Club Nautical of Valencia.

In a bid to alleviate the problem, Spanish newspapers have reported the syndicate wish to align themselves with the Spanish Sailing Federation, something Australia's OZ Boyz hope to do with Yachting Australia.

However, America's Cup rules state teams must represent a yacht club and it is not known whether a decision to waive the rules has been made.

Therefore it is unlikely the Spanish would have filed their entry before Friday's deadline.

Other teams that are trying to find the money to finance challenges are Australia's OZ Boyz, Sweden's Victory Challenge, France's Le Defi, Germany's Fresh Seventeen and the GBR Challenge.

The head of America's Cup management Michel Bonnefous said in October that he was confident there would be 10 - possibly even 12 - teams entered.

Eleven challengers competed in Auckland in 2000 and nine in 2003.

The terms of the next cup state any team interested in challenging had to present the required documents before December 17. Teams can enter up until April 29 but a late fee of $370,000 applies.

Teams

The defender
Alinghi (Switzerland)

Challengers
Emirates Team New Zealand (New Zealand)
BMW Oracle Racing (US)
Team Shosholoza (South Africa)
K-Challenge (France)
+39 (Italy)
Team Luna Rossa (Italy)

Possible challengers
Sausalito Challenge (US)
Mascalzone Latino (Italy)
Desafio Iberdrola/El Reto (Spain)
Le Defi (France)
GBR Challenge (Britain)
Victory Challenge (Sweden)
OZ Boyz (Australia)
Fresh Seventeen (Germany)