Category: Yachts and Yachting

The Italians won again against the Yankees. Consequently Luna Rossa now has a 4-1 lead and just need one more win to go to the LV final series of Matchraces which Final series decide who may race against Alinghi.

Ah Maazing semi finals:

Valencia – 18.05.2007 – 16:53
Via an old post on America’s Cup:

Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge take control

Luna Rossa Challenge has jumped out to a 3-1 series lead over BMW ORACLE Racing at the Louis Vuitton Cup. In these Semi Finals, the first team to win five races advances to the Final, and following today’s victory, the Italian team is one step closer to its goal.

Luna Rossa Challenge led all the way around the race track, after starting to the left of the American team. After one lap of the course ITA 94 was ahead by just 12-seconds, but helmsman James Spithill and his crew extended that lead to nearly half a minute at the second windward mark and held on to win by 24-seconds.

In the other pairing, Emirates Team New Zealand started ahead of the Spanish team and extended the rest of the way around the race track. The Spanish made up five-seconds on the final run, but it wasn’t enough; the Kiwis won by 42-seconds and have a 3-1 series lead.

I wouldn’t have believed it possible that Larry’s team would lose again!

Luna Rossa Challenge
Photo by Leggo Online

The LV Ranking link is the quickest way to be kept updated about the current rankings in the semifinals of The Louis Vuitton Cup.

Today at 15.00 hr the second flight will start in the best of nine match races of the LV Cup Semifinals.

Yesterday, in the first flight, USA team BMW Oracle Racing who have their own BMW Oracle racing Blog surprisingly lost its first race from the Italian team Luna Rossa Challenge 2007, probably because its 18nd crew member was the boss himself, Patrizio Bertelli.

The Kiwis Emirates Team New Zealand had obtained the right to choose their adversary from the other 3 contenders. They choose the Spanish team and won their first race.

The America’s cup is an excellent means of city marketing. The Cup itself brings a lot of publicity to Valencia and it triggers even more:

Port America’s Cup could become the second Formula One city circuit in Europe. The area of the Port will be part of the route that will host the first race of the 2008 season.

Bernie Ecclestone, president of Formula One visited Port America’s Cup Thursday (may 10), accompanied by Flavio Briatore, Sports Director of the Racing Team that is this year defending the world title won by Fernando Alonso in 2006. Both enjoyed lunch in the Foredeck restaurant within the Veles e Vents building, located in the center of the future circuit , due to be the setting for next year’s elite motor competition.

At the moment of publishing this post, 15.45 hr, and thanks to the (paid) live tracker America’s Cup Anywhere I know Emirates New Zealand leads and Luna Rossa leads in their respective downwind legs.

Added 23.00 hr: Kiwis an Yankees won!

Desafío Español 2007.
©ACM 2007/Photo:Stefano Gattin

After today’s races, with one race to go in Round Robin 2, it is clear that my feeling expressed in this post, two days ago, was correct: The Spanish team Desafío Español 2007 will, for the first time for a Spanish Team, compete in the semi finals. The Swedish Team that, two days ago, theoretically could have matched the points of Desafío Español 2007, lost its race today.

Tomorrow will see a very close race between USA team BWW Oracle Racing and New Zealand team Emirates team New Zealand, because the winner of this race will end as first of the two Round Robin series an will have earned the right of chosing its first opponent in the semi finals.