Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Dominates The Prada Cup

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli leads the Prada Cup Final with 4-0. The Finals didn’t quite provide the close and intense racing we were expecting. INEOS Team UK seemed to be on the back foot in all 4 races, and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli took advantage of that.

The race is won at the start

We all know that if you don’t get away off the start line ahead of your opponent, especially with the AC 75’s, you are very unlikely to catch up – unless your opponent makes a mistake. INEOS Team UK didn’t make the most of their starts  at all. All 4 starts were lost to the Italians: 3 of the starts could be put down to poor judgement, but one start was due to a very close capsize call on the start line. We all held our breath as we watched the Brits take to the sky, but luckily they managed to prevent the boat form capsizing. The sight was reminiscent of the fateful capsize of NYYC American Magic’s PATRIOT in the semi-finals. And we know how that ended.

Consistency is king

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli raced consistent, well-executed races. Just like a well-oiled machine. The boat was fast, she looked balanced, and she seemed to point higher than INEOS Team UK. Their starts were excellent, using every trick in the rule book to gain an advantage over INEOS Team UK. Their match-racing tactics were quite conservative in the first race. But from race 2 they were taking the Brits head on, never allowing them to take the favoured right hand side of the course.

Race 5 Postponed

The New Zealand Government announced a Level 3 lockdown in Auckland, initially for 72 hours. The next scheduled race day on Wednesday has been postponed, and the event village will not be open to the public during this time. America’s Cup Event Ltd will be working with the Authorities and relevant agencies over the next few days to work through the ongoing ramifications.

Hopefully we’ll be able to see these amazing teams race again this weekend.

Pictures by Carlo Borlenghi