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The Billionaire and the Mechanic: How Larry Ellison and a Car Mechanic Teamed Up to Win Sailing's Greatest Race, The America's Cup
A Forbes Best Book of the Year
The America’s Cup, first awarded in 1851, is the oldest trophy in international sports, and one of the most hotly contested. In 2000, Larry Ellison, co-founder and billionaire CEO of Oracle Corporation, decided to run for the coveted prize and found an unlikely partner in Norbert Bajurin, a car radiator mechanic who had recently been named Commodore of the blue collar Golden Gate Yacht Club.
Julian Guthrie’s The Billionaire and the Mechanic tells the incredible story of the partnership between Larry and Norbert, their unsuccessful runs for the Cup in 2003 and 2007, and their victory in 2010. With unparalleled access to Ellison and his team, Guthrie takes readers inside the design and building process of these astonishing boats, and the management of the passionate athletes who race them. She traces the bitter rivalries between Oracle and their competitors, including Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli’s Team Alinghi, and throws readers into exhilarating races from Australia and New Zealand to Valencia, Spain.
The Billionaire and the Mechanic is a must-read for anyone interested in the race or this remarkable story.
The America’s Cup, first awarded in 1851, is the oldest trophy in international sports, and one of the most hotly contested. In 2000, Larry Ellison, co-founder and billionaire CEO of Oracle Corporation, decided to run for the coveted prize and found an unlikely partner in Norbert Bajurin, a car radiator mechanic who had recently been named Commodore of the blue collar Golden Gate Yacht Club.
Julian Guthrie’s The Billionaire and the Mechanic tells the incredible story of the partnership between Larry and Norbert, their unsuccessful runs for the Cup in 2003 and 2007, and their victory in 2010. With unparalleled access to Ellison and his team, Guthrie takes readers inside the design and building process of these astonishing boats, and the management of the passionate athletes who race them. She traces the bitter rivalries between Oracle and their competitors, including Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli’s Team Alinghi, and throws readers into exhilarating races from Australia and New Zealand to Valencia, Spain.
The Billionaire and the Mechanic is a must-read for anyone interested in the race or this remarkable story.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 21, 2013
128 people are currently reading
1049 people want to read
About the author
Julian Guthrie
14 books92 followersJulian Guthrie is a NYT best-selling author who spent 20 years as a journalist with the San Francisco Chronicle. She is drawn to improbable underdog stories that combine great human drama with game-changing innovations. Her feature writing and enterprise reporting have been nominated multiple times for the Pulitzer Prize.
Ms. Guthrie's new book, Alpha Girls: The Women Upstarts Who Took on Silicon Valley's Male Culture and Made the Deals of a Lifetime, was published by Currency in April 2019.
This is her fourth nonfiction book. Alpha Girls shines a light on trailblazing women who were written out of history - until now. Alpha Girls is being adapted for television by Academy Award-winning producer Cathy Schulman.
Ms. Guthrie's new book, Alpha Girls: The Women Upstarts Who Took on Silicon Valley's Male Culture and Made the Deals of a Lifetime, was published by Currency in April 2019.
This is her fourth nonfiction book. Alpha Girls shines a light on trailblazing women who were written out of history - until now. Alpha Girls is being adapted for television by Academy Award-winning producer Cathy Schulman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
December 29, 2025
Above all else, this book provides a rare, detailed insight into the ordinarily opaque world of the Americas cup. For that reason alone, it is worth a read for any sailing nerd.
The 32nd Americas cup was my first memory of televised sailing and I recall being transfixed as teams from different countries competed against one another. The racing was balletic, tight and often unpredictable. I distinctly remember the frustration I felt - and still feel - that that cup was the last of the big monuhulls, making way for the giant multihulls of the 33rd cup, neither of which bore any resemblance to my sport.
This book provides some explanation as to how such a contest comes about, but does so from an entirely one sided perspective. Larry Ellison is portrayed as the messiah and Bertarelli as Judas, seeking to steal the cup and its rules for his own gain. What this book fails to illuminate is that Ellison is no saviour - his pursuit of the cup was not for the good of the sport, to keep it true to its origins or any other benevolent cause, it was simply to satisfy his own ego. The lengths he and Bertarelli were willing to go to in pursuit of these selfish ends resulted in an iteration of the cup that was the most inaccessible and exclusive it has ever been.
Ellison’s doggedness and unwillingness to accept failure is somewhat impressive, but the sycophantic deception of him that this book puts forward, is not. In contrast to this, Norbert Bajurin (commodore of GGYC) provides a reminder of what most would consider to be the true spirit of sailing and sailing clubs and his presence in the narrative adds some much needed perspective.
The 32nd Americas cup was my first memory of televised sailing and I recall being transfixed as teams from different countries competed against one another. The racing was balletic, tight and often unpredictable. I distinctly remember the frustration I felt - and still feel - that that cup was the last of the big monuhulls, making way for the giant multihulls of the 33rd cup, neither of which bore any resemblance to my sport.
This book provides some explanation as to how such a contest comes about, but does so from an entirely one sided perspective. Larry Ellison is portrayed as the messiah and Bertarelli as Judas, seeking to steal the cup and its rules for his own gain. What this book fails to illuminate is that Ellison is no saviour - his pursuit of the cup was not for the good of the sport, to keep it true to its origins or any other benevolent cause, it was simply to satisfy his own ego. The lengths he and Bertarelli were willing to go to in pursuit of these selfish ends resulted in an iteration of the cup that was the most inaccessible and exclusive it has ever been.
Ellison’s doggedness and unwillingness to accept failure is somewhat impressive, but the sycophantic deception of him that this book puts forward, is not. In contrast to this, Norbert Bajurin (commodore of GGYC) provides a reminder of what most would consider to be the true spirit of sailing and sailing clubs and his presence in the narrative adds some much needed perspective.
February 14, 2014
A sailor pal recommended this book, so on a recent visit to B&N, I steeled myself to plunk down $25 for the pleasure of paper. I searched the shelves. Then I got distracted. This cost me an extra $30 when I picked up a collection of essays about technology and security then couldn't put it back down. While on this tangent, I might as well mention that a few days later while browsing some web news, a targeted sidebar add suggested I might enjoy 'Advanced Security Strategies in Virtualized Data Centers- For Dummies'. Don't hold your breath for a review. Anyway, I couldn't find 'The Billionare and The Mechanic.'
I asked for help.
A kindly sales associate prodded some information out of the B&N computer. “Looks like it was returned to the publisher. I guess it didn't sell well.”
“Wow,” I said. As a wannabe novelist, that aspect of the business is spooky.
“Looks like we still have them here in the back room. Want one?”
I thought about the $25 and gulped. “Sure.”
The Billionare and The Mechanic is well written, but more interesting for what is left unsaid. The book starts with Larry Ellison's experience in the deadly 1998 Syd-Hobart ocean race. The full complexity of that experience is left out, but the point is that it changes how Mr. Ellison views the sport of sailing. He turns his considerable skill toward in shore events. This dot connects directly to his involvement with the America's Cup.
For those interested in wealthy folks antics, there are plenty of anecdotes; multiple multi million dollar homes with Monet's and Van Goghs on the living room wall, fancy cars, a private jet, celebrity pals, four ex-wives and of course, tales of the big league conflict that is central to America's cup battles. The ultimate wealth-war for fun, America's Cup campaigns require as much sailing know how as court room kung fu.
The most impressive aspect of the story is also the most depressing. Winning at the highest level is a brutal business. It's a mix of insane hours, yelling, demands and ruthlessly cutting any potential weak team member. Failure is not an option. But in the grand scheme of competition, failure, repeated until success is achieved is the only path to winning. Losers become winners through perseverance and experience. The driving force behind that is love of the sport. It's a weird dichotomy. Bottom line, this book is most interesting for what is left out, a read between the lines tease.
I asked for help.
A kindly sales associate prodded some information out of the B&N computer. “Looks like it was returned to the publisher. I guess it didn't sell well.”
“Wow,” I said. As a wannabe novelist, that aspect of the business is spooky.
“Looks like we still have them here in the back room. Want one?”
I thought about the $25 and gulped. “Sure.”
The Billionare and The Mechanic is well written, but more interesting for what is left unsaid. The book starts with Larry Ellison's experience in the deadly 1998 Syd-Hobart ocean race. The full complexity of that experience is left out, but the point is that it changes how Mr. Ellison views the sport of sailing. He turns his considerable skill toward in shore events. This dot connects directly to his involvement with the America's Cup.
For those interested in wealthy folks antics, there are plenty of anecdotes; multiple multi million dollar homes with Monet's and Van Goghs on the living room wall, fancy cars, a private jet, celebrity pals, four ex-wives and of course, tales of the big league conflict that is central to America's cup battles. The ultimate wealth-war for fun, America's Cup campaigns require as much sailing know how as court room kung fu.
The most impressive aspect of the story is also the most depressing. Winning at the highest level is a brutal business. It's a mix of insane hours, yelling, demands and ruthlessly cutting any potential weak team member. Failure is not an option. But in the grand scheme of competition, failure, repeated until success is achieved is the only path to winning. Losers become winners through perseverance and experience. The driving force behind that is love of the sport. It's a weird dichotomy. Bottom line, this book is most interesting for what is left out, a read between the lines tease.
April 13, 2016
I actually bought this for a present for someone - a pretty poor choice it turns out.
Boring, sycophantic drivel from someone who appears to be paid to create a story out of a catchy title.
If I took anything away from this book it was an insight into what it takes to become a billionaire. It appears a willingness to do pretty much anything to stack the cards in your favour, ignoring tradition and being disruptive, and being a perpetual self publicist are all prerequisites.
The book does not do justice to what was probably a good story if it was written by an independent author, not attached to the Oracle house.
Boring, sycophantic drivel from someone who appears to be paid to create a story out of a catchy title.
If I took anything away from this book it was an insight into what it takes to become a billionaire. It appears a willingness to do pretty much anything to stack the cards in your favour, ignoring tradition and being disruptive, and being a perpetual self publicist are all prerequisites.
The book does not do justice to what was probably a good story if it was written by an independent author, not attached to the Oracle house.
March 9, 2021
Completely fictional account. Norbert was not a mechanic. He worked for his father’s huge radiator company. Nor was he the Commodore of the yacht club when Golden Gate won the America’s Cup.
December 16, 2019
My knowledge of sailing and Larry Ellison were zip before I read this book. I had a boat at the Lake Geneva Yacht Club in Wisconsin for five years, a cabin cruiser, no sails for me!! Buddy Melges is from that area, so when he won the America’s Cup with Bill Koch in 1992, it was a very big deal. The America3 was on display at our yacht harbor. Took photos, but had no idea what a big deal the race was.
Lots of races and nautical terms I was unfamiliar with, but the book gave insight into the ups and downs of making a lifetime commitment to sailboat racing. I really liked Norbert best, his life seemed so much happier than Larry’s.
Like everything now days money rules, from politics to sports. I felt this book just showed that “he who has the most toys wins.” Larry Ellison actually sounded like a pretty good guy, but with 4 divorces something must be missing. His Japanese inspired home is spectacular (Google it) but even with all that Zen he seems lost.
I had no idea he was as wealthy as Gates and Buffett - so, with that kind of money I guess he can peruse anything he wants until he wins! “Sail where the wind takes you.”
Lots of races and nautical terms I was unfamiliar with, but the book gave insight into the ups and downs of making a lifetime commitment to sailboat racing. I really liked Norbert best, his life seemed so much happier than Larry’s.
Like everything now days money rules, from politics to sports. I felt this book just showed that “he who has the most toys wins.” Larry Ellison actually sounded like a pretty good guy, but with 4 divorces something must be missing. His Japanese inspired home is spectacular (Google it) but even with all that Zen he seems lost.
I had no idea he was as wealthy as Gates and Buffett - so, with that kind of money I guess he can peruse anything he wants until he wins! “Sail where the wind takes you.”
June 8, 2025
Billionaires bad. Boats good. 4-Stars.
August 28, 2013
The title implies that the billionaire and the mechanic had about an equal share in winning the America's Cup. Nothing could be further from the truth, at least the way it comes out of the book. Without giving away too much, it is not entirely clear what role did the mechanic play in the story of the America's cup homecoming, other than being a figurehead of Larry's challenge (yes, aside from having an obliging pet yacht club commodore, Larry got into the bargain a nice guy that can talk to him without falling into reverie. What of it?) This, to me, is pretty much the main shortcoming of the book. The other is that for the amount of time invested, there are too many press releases and prepared statements copy-pasted into the book. Other than that, for a book written by a non-sailor for non-sailors, it's quite a decent one (if you don't mind the typical journalist cum writer character descriptions and mind reading sessions on a background of carefully described and completely irrelevant pieces of landscape). It is actually quite technical, and contains quite a few blow by blow descriptions of several match race prestarts (and that's VERY technical), so the sailing bits appealed to me. The author also did a great job interviewing Larry and some of the people around him, and transcribing their stories quite artfully and faithfully.
The main thing for me is that this book should serve the same purpose as the cup it is describing, namely, making sailing (and racing in particular) more accessible to the wider public, more of a spectator sport, and by doing so, attracting more people into the world of sailing. America's cup, despite all of its many shortcomings, is doing just that. And so does this book. And for that I honor it.
The main thing for me is that this book should serve the same purpose as the cup it is describing, namely, making sailing (and racing in particular) more accessible to the wider public, more of a spectator sport, and by doing so, attracting more people into the world of sailing. America's cup, despite all of its many shortcomings, is doing just that. And so does this book. And for that I honor it.
September 22, 2013
Great read even for someone who knows nothing about sailing of the America's cup. It was interesting learning about Larry Ellison. I enjoyed seeing a little bit of the personal side of him. It was especially interesting to read after going to San Fran to watch one of the races. It is wild and something I would love to learn more about and watch in the future. Go USA!
December 9, 2014
Since I knew absolutely nothing about the America's Cup and very little about the head of Oracle, Larry Ellison, this was very interesting and educational, and that yacht on the cover is an unbelievable piece of engineering.
July 4, 2022
4 Stars. I am a fan of Julian Guthrie's writing. After reading How to Make a Spaceship: A Band of Renegades, an Epic Race, and the Birth of Private Space Flight, this book about America's Cup landed on my radar. As reviewer Mark noted: "this book is most interesting for what is left out." There is enough structure and narrative to keep everything moving along. This structure and narrative also accentuate individuals and areas where entire stories await.
Mounting an America's Cup challenge is a huge effort involving many individuals working together. Many of those individuals get a shout out and have a few moments in the spotlight, but for some individuals a cameo appearance doesn't do justice to their contributions and I will be looking for more books on America's Cup participants.
The author's access to many of the individuals mentioned in the book adds a depth and perspective that I enjoyed. Sailing at this level is a hobby for billionaires and it is too easy to be blinded by their presence to notice the contributions of the mere mortals that make up the bulk of the effort. Many of the narratives involving Norbert helped bring the action down to the "man on the street" level and the author calls out goodness and excellence when she can. It is the passion and pursuit of excellence of the little guys in their sphere of influence that ultimately coalesces into sparkling moments of success. We triumph in the win because it is the culmination of many little moments of excellence accrued practice after practice, failure after failure, struggle after struggle.
Mounting an America's Cup challenge is a huge effort involving many individuals working together. Many of those individuals get a shout out and have a few moments in the spotlight, but for some individuals a cameo appearance doesn't do justice to their contributions and I will be looking for more books on America's Cup participants.
The author's access to many of the individuals mentioned in the book adds a depth and perspective that I enjoyed. Sailing at this level is a hobby for billionaires and it is too easy to be blinded by their presence to notice the contributions of the mere mortals that make up the bulk of the effort. Many of the narratives involving Norbert helped bring the action down to the "man on the street" level and the author calls out goodness and excellence when she can. It is the passion and pursuit of excellence of the little guys in their sphere of influence that ultimately coalesces into sparkling moments of success. We triumph in the win because it is the culmination of many little moments of excellence accrued practice after practice, failure after failure, struggle after struggle.
May 30, 2019
My biggest beef with this book is that it sets up a "they're just like us" narrative about billionaires. The author glosses over the selfishness and arrogance necessary to become a Larry Ellison. She paints him in a favorable and even victimized light (villainizing the City of San Francisco for stymying his plans to build a private school on a San Francisco pier).
Given that sailing at this level (world-level and especially Americas Cup) is a sport for the ultrarich, I shouldn't be surprised... but I felt that the author (especially as an SF Chronicle writer) should have done a better job painting an objective picture of the morality and character of Ellison and his ilk. The author attempts to paint the alliance of Ellison with the Golden Gate Sailing Club as a story of two working-man underdogs teaming up, rather than an alliance of convenience and desperation.
Stepping off my class warfare soapbox, this was an interesting read. The Americas Cup races are fascinating in their evolution over the years, as are the boats and many of the characters involved. The politics, lawsuits, and maneuvering that resulted in Ellison becoming the challenger of record against the Swiss and finally getting the Americas Cup to San Francisco were quite fascinating. The story of the development of the USA-17 boat was particularly interesting because of the audacity and riskiness of the design. I had no idea that the boat which I've seen at the Oracle headquarters many times had such a story behind it.
Given that sailing at this level (world-level and especially Americas Cup) is a sport for the ultrarich, I shouldn't be surprised... but I felt that the author (especially as an SF Chronicle writer) should have done a better job painting an objective picture of the morality and character of Ellison and his ilk. The author attempts to paint the alliance of Ellison with the Golden Gate Sailing Club as a story of two working-man underdogs teaming up, rather than an alliance of convenience and desperation.
Stepping off my class warfare soapbox, this was an interesting read. The Americas Cup races are fascinating in their evolution over the years, as are the boats and many of the characters involved. The politics, lawsuits, and maneuvering that resulted in Ellison becoming the challenger of record against the Swiss and finally getting the Americas Cup to San Francisco were quite fascinating. The story of the development of the USA-17 boat was particularly interesting because of the audacity and riskiness of the design. I had no idea that the boat which I've seen at the Oracle headquarters many times had such a story behind it.
December 1, 2017
There are some people with extraordinary egos - Larry Ellison is one of them. This book is a little strong on the myth-making. The title, for example, is largely concocted and has little to do with what happened. It gives the impression of some uber-millionaire accidently running into a quaint craftsman - in the manner of a Grimm's fairytale - and together beating the elitist clique of international yachters through gumption and hard work. That isn't the true story of the 2009 and 2013 America's Cup races. Ellison spent as much or more than anyone, enlisted an elite crew sparing no expense and employed the most advanced technology. It was a textbook example of brash Americana. The mechanic happens to be a sailing enthusiast who became commodore of the Golden Gate Yacht Club at a very fortunate time. Ellison needed to join a suitable club to qualify for the America's Cup and he didn't want the establishment from more storied clubs to boss him around. The mechanic was more pliable and that is essentially his role in the narrative. Of course, it can be written in a more romantic fashion - as it is here. I did learn a lot about modern yachting and love sailing, so that part of the book really appealed to me. One final note, this book does not shy away from dishing dirt - some characters are left bruised and bloody. This is really a world of predators and vultures, who take what they can with little remorse.
November 12, 2020
I was looking for sailing themed books when I downloaded this.
This is an interesting book (mostly on sailing) about Larry Ellison's decade long quest to win the America's Cup. With "Mechanic" in the title I definitely thought the book would take a different approach such as how a car mechanic changed the world of boat racing with some ground breaking idea. It is not so complex. The mechanic here just hosted Larry's team/boat at the yacht club he is the elected leader of. I think a better title would focus more on Larry's quest for this cup.
The book is definitely a homage to Larry, it is interesting in that regard. It definitely feels like a story of one of his hobbies that he spends 100's of millions on.
Overall there are some of the technical aspects of sailing detailed in it as it has a great perspective of being on one of these competitive sailing teams.
It entertained me, wasn't necessarily a page turner that I had to crush in a weekend, but was enjoyable to listen to at about 30 minutes at at time.
I would recommend for those interested in sailing or even semi-biographies.
This is an interesting book (mostly on sailing) about Larry Ellison's decade long quest to win the America's Cup. With "Mechanic" in the title I definitely thought the book would take a different approach such as how a car mechanic changed the world of boat racing with some ground breaking idea. It is not so complex. The mechanic here just hosted Larry's team/boat at the yacht club he is the elected leader of. I think a better title would focus more on Larry's quest for this cup.
The book is definitely a homage to Larry, it is interesting in that regard. It definitely feels like a story of one of his hobbies that he spends 100's of millions on.
Overall there are some of the technical aspects of sailing detailed in it as it has a great perspective of being on one of these competitive sailing teams.
It entertained me, wasn't necessarily a page turner that I had to crush in a weekend, but was enjoyable to listen to at about 30 minutes at at time.
I would recommend for those interested in sailing or even semi-biographies.
June 8, 2017
This story captures how Larry Ellison (the Billionaire/Oracle) and Norbert Bajurin (manager of a radiator repair shop) captured and defended The America's Cup. It is a thrilling story filled with success, failure, litigation, sailing, engineering and balls to the wall competition. It is more obvious that the people involved have feet of clay (as opposed to the engineers and astronauts in Guthrie's How to Make a Spaceship); this makes the story less and more inspiring.
August 7, 2017
Wish I'd read this before this year's America's Cup - really interesting background, even for a non sailor. Guthrie sometimes goes off on a tangent, and I thought some of it could have been better organised, but overall it's an exciting read, particularly the end. Even though I knew how the 34th America's Cup ended, I still couldn't put the book down!
April 4, 2020
Good C+
Having been to Bermuda watch these sensational sailors was an experience of a lifetime! However this book was boring. I really tried hard to like it but found myself wishing it were over. Too many flashbacks in middle of storyline; statistics were blah blah blah. This book could’ve had everything in about half the ramblings!
Having been to Bermuda watch these sensational sailors was an experience of a lifetime! However this book was boring. I really tried hard to like it but found myself wishing it were over. Too many flashbacks in middle of storyline; statistics were blah blah blah. This book could’ve had everything in about half the ramblings!
March 14, 2021
To be a billionaire with a hobby, wild stuff. The book was humming along with a few good stories scattered in (Joan Baez and Bono at Steve Jobs funeral for ex) and then the last few chapters just took off for me and I couldn’t put it down. You’d need to appreciate sailing and racing to enjoy it. Lots of inside baseball.
August 1, 2017
This story was chosen by a club member who is a sailor. I have no sea legs and get seasick easily, so I groaned inwardly upon hearing what our next read would be.
It took me a while to get into it, but I ended up finding it interesting enough to finish and recommend.
It took me a while to get into it, but I ended up finding it interesting enough to finish and recommend.
August 11, 2017
Sailing has evolved to flying over the water. Great story about recent history of the Americas Cup, Larry Ellison's obsession, and the engineering and mechanics (double meaning here) of sailing. Intriguing.
October 20, 2020
Holy cow! What a story.
It's a complicated story about interesting people and their complicated wants. I didn't retain the technical stuff, but. I surely did enjoy the yarns. The book is hard to put down (this time I mean it.)
It's a complicated story about interesting people and their complicated wants. I didn't retain the technical stuff, but. I surely did enjoy the yarns. The book is hard to put down (this time I mean it.)
September 30, 2021
This was two books: a decent book about sailing and the politics of the America's Cup, and an adulatory, hero-worshiping biography of Larry Ellison, almost a hagiography. The latter book spoiled the former.
June 1, 2018
A compelling story of Larry Ellison, America's Cup, and the drama and conflict that take place in competition and business. Makes me want to sail!
July 11, 2018
Fun book. Even if you aren’t a sailor, you can feel the tension of the races.
November 22, 2018
Skip the parts about how great Larry Ellison and all his rich friends are, and it's a fine book about boat races.
March 14, 2019
Excellent. Highly recommend. Guthrie's research was powerful. I don't know one thing about sailing, but kept reading anyway, to the end, with delight.
May 1, 2020
I'm a sailor- I thought it was great. For others, maybe 4 stars but still very good.
March 5, 2021
Not factual - if you're into fiction. great book.
March 16, 2021
Because I love sailing and also the America's Cup racing, this was a great read. The first chapter is gripping. I got a whole new perspective on Larry Ellison.
April 21, 2022
Very enjoyable! Amazing accomplishment!
October 8, 2023
Such a great story about how failure breeds success in the long run!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews