Locals advance to Youth America’s Cup

Hamilton, Bermuda (June 13, 2017) – Light winds again greeted the six international Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Pool B teams who returned to the second and final day of Qualifiers on the Great Sound. Three more races would decide the top four teams to advance, and it was local favorites TeamBDA that delivered.

Racing the one-design AC45 foiling catamarans, the 12 teams with sailors all aged between 18 – 24 years are divided into two qualifying groups of six teams, with the top four from each group to advance to the eight team Finals on June 20-21.

Having endured a mixed first day’s racing, reigning champions NZL Sailing Team made the perfect start on day two, taking victory in the first race, narrowly ahead of local heroes TeamBDA. Behind them Spanish Impulse by IBEROSTAR finished third, ahead of Austria’s Candidate Sailing Team, with Land Rover BAR Academy in fifth and Next Generation USA in sixth.

Race two was about to start, but then a windshift on the racecourse lead to America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM) abandoning the race shortly before it started so they could change the course to fit the new wind direction.

Soon, the second race of the day was back on and in what proved the closest-fought race yet involving all six teams, Jordi Xammar’s Spanish Impulse by IBEROSTAR crossed the finish line first, narrowly ahead of Land Rover BAR Academy and the much-improved Candidate Sailing Team. Behind the top three, Logan Dunning Beck’s NZL Sailing settled for fourth, with Next Generation USA fifth and TeamBDA in sixth.

In the final race of the Pool B Qualifiers it was NZL Sailing team who took the honours in first, followed by Land Rover BAR Academy in second. Behind them, Spanish Impulse by IBEROSTAR stole third place on the line from Team BDA, making the whole of Bermuda smile with fourth place, sealing their spot in the Finals.

With only the top four teams advancing, it was elimination time for Next Generation USA which had to settle for fifth while bringing up the rear were Candidate Sailing Team whose 2017 Red Bull Youth America’s Cup adventure ended with sixth place.

“There were tricky conditions on both days for Pool B but the four teams who made it into the final have played the tactical game well and deserve to be in the Finals,” noted Hans-Peter Steinacher, Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Sports Director. “There was a lot to play for until the last race and that shows just how high the performance levels are of the youth sailors taking part in the 2017 Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.”

The six teams in Pool A will take to the race course for their six race elimination series on June 15-16. The teams of Pool A are Youth Vikings Denmark (DEN), Team France Jeune (FRA), SVB Team Germany (GER), Kaijin Team Japan (JPN), Team Tilt (SUI), and Artemis Youth Racing (SWE).

Event details – Results – Facebook

Watch the 2017 Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Finals, live on Red Bull TV on June 20 and 21 at 2:00pm local Bermuda time/5:00pm UTC.

The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Finals, which take place on June 20th and June 21st at 2:00pm ADT, will be able to view LIVE on AmericasCup.com, or on mobile devices via the America’s Cup app.

The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Finals will be also be streamed live on Red Bull TV. Red Bull TV is available on connected TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and more. For a full list of Red Bull supported devices visit this page.

2017 Red Bull Youth America’s Cup – Pool B Qualifiers Race Results

Pool B, Race 4
1. NZL Sailing Team (10pts)
2. TeamBDA (9pts)
3. Spanish Impulse by IBEROSTAR (8pts)
4. Candidate Sailing Team (7pts)
5. Land Rover BAR Academy (6pts)
6. Next Generation USA (5pts)

Pool B, Race 5
1. Spanish Impulse by IBEROSTAR (10pts)
2. Land Rover BAR Academy (9pts)
3. Candidate Sailing Team (8pts)
4. NZL Sailing Team (7pts)
5. Next Generation USA (6pts)
6. TeamBDA (5pts)

Pool B, Race 6
1. NZL Sailing Team (10pts)
2. Land Rover BAR Academy (9pts)
3. Spanish Impulse by IBEROSTAR (8pts)
4. TeamBDA (7pts)
5. Next Generation USA (6pts)
6. Candidate Sailing Team (5pts)

Pool B Qualifiers – Final Standings
1. NZL Sailing Team 51pts
2. Land Rover BAR Academy 51pts
3. Spanish Impulse by IBEROSTAR 51pts
4. TeamBDA 45pts
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5. Next Generation USA 36pts
6. Candidate Sailing Team 36pts

Source: Youth America’s Cup