Swiss eliminated as USA keeps winning

Barcelona, Spain (September 18, 2024) – A day of wildly swinging fortunes on a variable racetrack saw the America’s Cup Challenger of Record, INEOS Britannia, secure their place in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final while NYYC American Magic stayed alive with two critical wins over Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

The day offered a lumpy sea-state in marginal wind conditions that made boat-handling and maneuvers extremely tough, with both the British and Italian challengers entering the day at 4-1 and needing one more win in their best of 9 semi-final matches.

For the British, they set the smaller-sized mainsail which did them no favores as the wind faded to below 5 knots and allowed Alinghi Red Bull Racing to narrow the series scoreline to 4-2. However, the pair’s second race of the day saw Sir Ben Ainslie’s team regain their form of earlier in the series to record an 83 second win to eliminate the Swiss from the Louis Vuitton Cup.

This is the second consecutive time the Brits have made the Challenger Selection Series Final.

“It was a tough final couple of days in the lighter conditions, hats off to Alinghi Red Bull Racing, they really pushed us hard in those lighter conditions,” shared Sir Ben Ainslie, skipper of INEOS Britannia. “It was a rough day today where the wind was up and down a lot, a nasty sea state. A tough test for all of the teams, but I’m delighted for our team, for all the hard work and effort to get us this point.”

The Swiss now exit the competition having brought flair and glamour to the event shoreside, whilst on the water their young sailors put in stellar performances as they climbed a super-steep learning curve for the new team.

“Mixed emotions, but very proud with what we achieved as a new team,” noted Swiss helm Maxime Bachelin. “A lot of different learnings, but as well a bit sad to finish our adventure here. We gained two points in the last two days, and we were hoping to go for it, so a bit sad for that but very happy as well about the performance of the whole team.”

The drama of the day, however, was in the other semi-final with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli as NYYC American Magic won the opening race of the day, where soon after the start the wind dropped to below six knots and saw both boats off the foils in displacement mode. Trading punches, the USA drew blood at the final upwind gate which left Italy on the mat.

With the score at 4-2, the second race saw USA get the better of the Italian team off the start line, but again multiple lead changes followed until a dramatic gear failure on the traveler system of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli on leg four of the course brought their race to an abrupt end.

“This is high-level sport; this is exactly what you expect,” noted Italian helm Jimmy Spithill. “You’re always going to get a few curveballs that come your way, but champion teams can deal with that, and we’ve certainly got a champion team. We have a fantastic team ashore and there’s no doubt in my mind that we will be back. Man, I’ll make a bet and I’ll put the farm on it that we’ll be out there tomorrow.”

Tom Slingsby, the highly experienced helmsman of NYYC American Magic, was measured in his response to the Italian breakdown: “Obviously, it’s never the way you want to win, but by the same token, we were out there giving out our best as well – so you don’t want to discredit the work of our team.”

Now at 4-3, and with sporting momentum, NYYC American Magic will be keen to capitalize and score a win in the opening race tomorrow at 14:00 CET to take this Louis Vuitton Cup semi-final to a deciding race. All eyes will be on the conditions with lighter winds again potentially in the forecast.

Viewing details – Race information – Results – Weather forecast

Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, 2021, the AC75 Class Rule and AC Technical Regulations were finalized on March 17, 2022. The entry period was from December 1, 2021 until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup could be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the reveal, finally confirming Barcelona on March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup begins October 12, 2024.

Teams revealed to challenge defender Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
• INEOS Britannia (GBR)
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA)
• NYYC American Magic (USA)
• Orient Express Racing Team (FRA)

2023-24 Preliminary Regattas
September 14-17, 2023 (AC40): Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
November 30-December 2 (AC40): Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
August 22-25, 2024 (AC75): Barcelona, Spain

2024 Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Selection Series*
August 29-September 9: Double Round Robin
September 14-19: Semi Finals (Best of 9)
September 26-October 7: Finals (Best of 13)

*Team New Zealand competes in the round robin stage only, but the results of their races were not included in the challenger leaderboard.

2024 America’s Cup
October 12-27: 37th Match (Best of 13)

For competition details, click here.

Additionally, 12 teams will compete in the Youth America’s Cup and Women’s America’s Cup.

Noticeboard: https://ac37noticeboard.acofficials.org/
Event details: www.americascup.com/en/home

Source: ACE