Defending America’s Cup champions Team Oracle USA will be more than aware of the threat Hampshire's Sir Ben Ainslie poses when the competition’s World Series gets underway on the Solent tomorrow.

In 2013 Team Oracle USA were 8-0 down to Emirates Team New Zealand in San Francisco – but then Lymington's sailing icon Ainslie was drafted in.

In the first to nine wins final, Ainslie, the Lymington-based four-time Olympic champion, turned Oracle’s fortunes around to win 9-8.

It has been labelled one of the greatest ever sporting comebacks.

But this time, as the America’s Cup 35th edition in Bermuda in 2017 begins its preliminary rounds – starting in Portsmouth weekend for the first stage of the World Series – things will be different.

Ainslie has created his own Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing team to be the first British challenger in the America’s Cup for 16 years.

It is an attempt to bring the oldest trophy in world sport, which started off the coast of the Isle of Wight in 1851, home for the first time in its 164 year history.

The 38-year-old and his crew, on BAR's foiling AC45, will be looking to extinguish decades of hurt and finally bring back the Auld Mug to Britain, which will certainly concern Team USA, who are all too familiar with Ainslie’s strengths.

Ainslie and his team’s quest starts at the Portsmouth event, and their mission will be to go head-to-head with Oracle in the North Atlantic in two years' time for a chance to lift the prestigious cup.

They will have to go through another round of qualifiers and a play-off to get to the final match in June or July, 2017.

“The America’s Cup is a massive part of our maritime history,” says Ainslie. “And it would be great to set the record straight.”

For the first time the World Series will count towards the final stages of the competition, so each of the six teams will be keen to throw down the gauntlet on the Solent.

In previous years the Challenger Series takes place a few weeks before the final and decides who will take on the defending champion.

However, this year, the World Series, which will be made of up to six regattas, will give the winning team a head-start in a second round of qualifiers.

In turn the victor of that second round will race Oracle in the final.

There are six teams registered to compete and they will each race a foiling AC45 catamaran in the World Series before sailing on the larger AC62 for the finals.

Tomorrow and Sunday there will be two races a day that will all count for points, with Sunday’s races the most valuable.

Oracle will try to fend off challengers BAR, Artemis Racing, Team Japan, Team France and Team New Zealand.