June 2008

The Fridley, Minnesota based company Taxi2000 has joined Craig Horsfield Racing as its title sponsor for the 2008-2009 Mini Transat campaign. The boat Rapid! has been renamed Skyweb Express for those two years and will proudly fly the flag of that forward-thinking company. Skyweb Express is Taxi2000’s high tech personal rapid transit system.

“We are so pleased to have Taxi2000 onboard,” explained Craig Horsfield. “It allows our team to focus on preparation for the sailing challenges ahead. It is especially satisfying to work with a company that combines technology with common sense and a decidedly innovative approach. These features are the lifeblood of Mini sailing.”

The sponsorship will initially cover the 2008 West Coast Race for Mini Transats. This race will be raced in two stages, as a singlehanded event from Victoria, BC to San Francisco, California starting on July 5. The second leg will be sailed doublehanded from San Francisco to San Diego, California. In 2009 several European Mini races are on Skyweb Express’s schedule as Horsfield prepares for the 2009 Mini Transat Race.

Skyweb Express is a potential solution to one of today’s foremost challenges, mass transit. The system features 3-passenger, computer controlled lightweight cars running on guideways. Because Skyweb Express utilizes such light vehicles, the physical footprint and energy usage can be kept to a minimum. The guideway system is also a far less expensive alternative than producing light rail, with the possibility of running directly over sidewalks or even attached to the sides of buildings. As cities face the reality of 21st Century mass transit, Skyweb Express is poised as a solution that can be implemented quickly and at reasonable costs.

While sponsorship and media coverage for Mini Transat events are common in Europe for this exciting and prolific class, US sailors and the media are just now learning just how exciting this class is and just how much media exposure the events are garnering. For more information on the Mini Transat class, Craig Horsfield Racing or Skyweb Express, follow the links and contacts below.

For more information on Mini Transats, see www.classemini.com.
For more information on Craig Horsfield Racing, see craighorsfieldracing.com.
For more information on Skyweb Express, see www.taxi2000.com.
Or contact Craig Horsfield at (425) 208 6363 or Kurt Hoehne at (206) 335-8776 or kurt@meadowpointpub.com.