What a relief to see that we have an even match for the America’s Cup trophy! Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli are equally-matched in speed, boat handling and tactics. This is exactly how America’s Cup racing should be.
It’s all in the start
Emirates Team New Zealand got the start in race 1, which allowed them to steam ahead of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli to win the race. The Italians tried to luff them 10 seconds after the start to force a penalty, but this tactic didn’t work.
The Italians learnt from their Race 1 start, winning the start in the second race. This race became a tacking duel of true match-racing style. The Kiwi’s caught up towards the end of the race, and we reckon that had there been another leg they could have taken the race win.
In the post race press conference, Peter Burling admitted that the start is everything when sailing the AC75’s. With two such evenly-matched teams, you have to win the start to get the racing edge.
Watch the racing highlights and the full press conference below.
